


Scorched Feathers

by phendrifts



Series: Scorched Feathers AU [1]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon Rewrite, Character Death, Epilogue: Xenoblade Chronicles Future Connected, Gen, Xenoblade Chronicles Spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:40:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 36,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25393249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phendrifts/pseuds/phendrifts
Summary: Over one year after Zanza's defeat, the party catch wind of a mysterious monster named the Fog King. A journey from New Colony 9 to the floating Bionis Shoulder to reclaim Melia's ancestral home.Shulk is tormented by the thought of Alvis, whose legacy intertwines with everyone he meets.Melia comes to terms with the myriad of High Entia's well-guarded secrets.Tyrea looks for a place to die, and is instead given a second chance.(A Future Connected rewrite. Old characters get repurposed, new characters are introduced, the plot is changed entirely.)
Series: Scorched Feathers AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1853734
Comments: 31
Kudos: 49





	1. Brought By The Summer Breeze

Alcamoth had vanished.

Once, the impressive city was a landmark in Eryth Sea, an ecosystem of floating islands that decorated the Bionis’ head. Yet it was no longer there. Barely a trace remained- a solitary watchtower that had since been knocked over, the glowing transporters between islands (though who knew if they were still functional) and gaping valley where Prison Island sank into the skull.

Melia couldn’t believe her eyes.

Her home, her _people’s_ home, the home that her father and brother had _entrusted_ to her, had completely disappeared.

The party was silent when the Havres docked near an once-floating island, barely hovering a foot atop the ocean’s surface.

Melia stood at the bow, looking at nothing in particular. Behind her, the rest of the party congregated on the deck. Nobody wanted to say the first word, and nobody had to. Everyone knew what was on each other’s minds.

Reyn was the first to speak.

“Look, Melia, I know it’s hard to see your home in such a sorry state. But the High Entia have a new home now, with the rest of us at New Colony 9. It’s gonna be alright.” Reyn wanted to put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, but decided against it.

“I’m afraid that’s not the problem, Reyn.” Dunban spoke up. “It’s more than just a place to live. Alcamoth was the birthplace of High Entia customs, it housed their history. It’s just not something relocation can fix.”

“We should get moving.” called Fiora, hopping off the Havres and brushing off her clothes. “Melia needs her time to mourn.”

“No, it’s… quite alright.” Melia spoke for the first time since they had arrived in Eryth Sea. “Fiora is right. We should be on our way, everyone.” Melia hid behind her unwavering voice, but nobody was fooled. There were the tiniest of cracks, not just in her voice but her eyes, where they could feel her overwhelming sense of grief. Nobody dared push the girl, in fear that something far more fragile would break inside her first.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


_Two weeks earlier..._

The end of the world had long since passed, and the only thing that remained for the heroes of Bionis was some much needed rest. It had been over a year since the world began anew, and most of it had been spent rebuilding civilization in the form of New Colony 9, a city built on the foundation of collaboration and trust between all life that had once inhabited the two great titans.

For Shulk, however, an era of peace just meant more time spent back inside rather than travelling the world. Deep in the heart of the residential district, Shulk found himself buried in papers at his own personal lab. His latest project had taken up most of Shulk’s waking life, and it had been weeks since anybody had seen the boy soak in some sunlight. 

“Heat stability is at 96 percent… that should be good enough.”

Walking towards the back of the room, Shulk picked up his latest and greatest creation: the Monado Replica EX. Without hesitation, the sword sprang to life in his hands. A laser-like blade shot clear out from the hilt, brightening the room and Shulk’s face.

“It works!” Shulk laughed, raising the sword in exclamation. He took a few victory swings of the sword just to make sure it stayed functional, then deactivated it and set it down. As he did, he heard a door open and close the floor above. 

“Reyn! Reyn!” Shulk excitedly ran up the stairs, eager to share his latest breakthrough. “You’ll never believe it!” 

To his surprise, as he turned into the lounge he was not greeted by his roommate, but by Dunban and Fiora. 

“Oh! When did you two get back to Colony 9?” he exclaimed, with equal enthusiasm. The siblings had been away on a trip outside the colony to survey the surrounding area. It was an idea that Shulk had suggested in the early days of reconstruction- the colony would routinely do surveying trips every month to search for other civilizations, or to gather food, or to look for places to set up camps. 

“We got back yesterday night,” began Dunban. “but we needed the rest. What is it you wanted to show Reyn?” 

“Come see for yourself!” Shulk gestured for the two to follow him downstairs.

“This place is a mess, Shulk. Did you ever clean up since the last time we were here?” Fiora asked, stepping on what she hoped were not important papers. Shulk, evidently not listening, turned around to show them the Monado REX in his hands. 

“It’s fully functional now! Watch--” he activated it and just like before, a blade of light emerged from the hilt of the sword. “Miqol just sent the prototype a week or two ago, and I just finished touching it up.” 

“Impressive.” Dunban said. “High Entia and Machina technologies combined can really produce something amazing.”

“ _I_ just don’t understand why you need the Monado anymore, Shulk.” Fiora piped up. “Zanza is gone now. We’re safe here in the colony.”

“I know, I know… it’s just insurance. For a rainy day.” Shulk scratched his head. “I just don’t want to be caught off guard, that’s all.” 

Fiora crossed her arms, clearly unsatisfied with the answer, but she knew that Shulk had his mind made up. 

“Alright, if it makes you feel safer. But let’s get back upstairs- when Reyn comes back, we should have the place cleaned up for him.”

* * *

Reyn came home later than anticipated. Shulk and Fiora had fallen asleep leaning on each other on the couch, and Dunban, who could barely keep his eyes open on a lounge chair, was not far behind them. Reyn shuffled into the house with bags of groceries in his hands. 

“Guys!” The loud familiar voice shook everyone awake. 

“R-reyn? What is it?” Shulk yawned. “What time is it?”

“A little past midnight, I reckon. But something incredible happened at the square today!” 

After everyone had sufficiently woken up, Reyn explained the situation. Around sunset, a group of High Entia had sailed into the docks on a convoy of three repurposed Havres, and gathered the townsfolk in the square to speak. 

“Apparently, they were survivors in Alcamoth-”

“Survivors? From _Alcamoth_?” Shulk asked incredulously.

“That’s what I said, mate. Anyway-”

“But that’s impossible!” interrupted Dunban. 

Fiora nodded in agreement. “I thought all the survivors were here, in New Colony 9.”

“Just let me finish, alright?” 

The three went silent.

“Apparently, they had been living out there in Alcamoth all this time after the Bionis bit it. It wasn’t just them, either- there were other survivors. They’re still in there.”

“Why didn’t they come along in the Havres?” Shulk asked. 

“Too many of them, I suppose. They weren’t even sure they would escape Alcamoth alive.”

“What do you mean? What happened to Alcamoth?” Dunban leaned forward, clearly interested. 

“Apparently, a huge beast came out of nowhere and took over the place. They’ve reached a stalemate, but it’s still in there. Dunno what kind of monster it was, though. They called it the Fog King... beats me on what it could look like.”

“Where are these High Entia now? Maybe we should go pay them a visit.” 

“Shulk, it’s far too late for that.” Fiora yawned. “We can go see them in the morning.” 

“Does Melia know about this?” Dunban inquired. “They are her people, after all.”

“She’s currently got them situated in town hall. Melia’s sleeping at Riki’s tonight.” 

It wasn’t unusual; Melia had no home in the residential district, and as the empress of the High Entia, her services were constantly needed at the Town Hall; ergo, she made her home there. She would stay with Riki and his family whenever she needed a break from work.

“Alright.” Shulk stretched out his arms in a yawn. “I say we get some rest and go see our new friends tomorrow, alright?” 

“Good idea! I’m absolutely exhausted.”

The two roommates made sure everything was okay for Fiora and Dunban to stay the night, and then went to bed upstairs. 

* * *

The next morning, Melia and Sharla were already on the scene tending to the refugees.

“Everyone!” Sharla waved them over. Melia, who seemed to be deep in a conversation with a High Entia, turned her head and smiled at them. 

“Sharla! When did you get here?” said Fiora.

“This one,” she pointed at Reyn, “told me the news yesterday. I got here last night, doing the best I can to patch everyone up. Linada and some of the other medics are here if you want to go say hi, Fiora.” 

“Who’s this?” Shulk and Dunban walked up behind Melia, who had resumed talking to the High Entia on the floor in front of them.

“Let me introduce you two. This is Maxis, a member of the Imperial Guard. He was the leader of this crew when they escaped Alcamoth. He was just telling me about this Fog King creature that appeared in the city.”

“ _Escaped_ is right. The Fog King was unlike any beast we’ve ever seen.”

Dunban placed his hand on his hip. “You’re part of the Imperial Guard, huh? Are those swords you carry just for show?”

“I’m afraid swords are mere fodder to that thing. They pass straight through it. None of us could land a single blow.”

“So that’s why you call it the Fog King, huh?”

“There wasn’t anything we could do. I took as many people as I could and we fled.” 

Dunban looked at the High Entia that filled the courtyard. “I can’t help but notice that there are no Homs or Nopon among you. What happened to the other refugees living in the capital?”

Maxis cast a sideways glance. “Other refugees? There’s just more High Entia soldiers left there, my friend. They chose to stay behind to fight the damned thing. Resources were low, there were only enough Havres to get the civilians out. I joined the convoy to protect them, but some of my men are still in there, fighting for their lives. They bought us the time so that we may live another day.”

Dunban rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You say they’re still in Alcamoth, fighting? Why don’t we pay a visit to Alcamoth ourselves?” 

“Are you mad?!” Maxis exclaimed. “Defeating the Fog King is a lost cause. Don’t let my men’s sacrifices be in vain. They accepted that their fates were sealed.”

“Well, we aren’t the type to let destiny decide who lives and dies, Maxis. Even if there’s only the slimmest chance to defeat the Fog King, we have to try.”

The silent empress spoke up. “I couldn’t agree more, Dunban. I was just about to arrange for us to take one of the repurposed Havres’ back to Alcamoth.”

“Do you two think we took all of that lying down?” Maxis growled. “We _did_ fight. We fought for months and we paid the price for it.” The soldier pointed to the distant Bionis head. “There were hundreds of High Entia in Alcamoth. You’ve seen our numbers now. Let it go.”

“How can you be so cruel, Maxis? You said that you left your own men to die in our ancestral home. Do you not mourn for the men you’ve lost? For the home that you abandoned?” Melia spoke with delicately placed anger in her voice.

“Of course I mourn.” Maxis spat. “I want to go home as much as everyone else here. But that’s a dream that won’t come to pass.”

“Why don’t you come with us, Maxis?”

Everyone turned to Shulk, who had been deep in thought. 

“We can help you retake Alcamoth. We might not look as capable as your men, but we’re fighters, too. Even if we can’t defeat the Fog King, we can try to bring back any survivors.” Shulk’s voice rang with sincerity, and Melia recalled the same plea when the boy had first asked Melia to travel with them so long ago. Shulk outstretched his arm down to the High Entia captain on the floor. “Besides, your knowledge on how to pilot the Havres would be invaluable for our trip to the head.”

Maxis scoffed. “You lot might damn well be out of your minds. But if you’re so sure you can hold your own against that thing, then I’ll be your guide. I want to see my homeland restored just as much as everyone else.” 

“Thank you, Maxis. We will take back Alcamoth.” Shulk nodded with a firm resolve. 

The plan was settled. In a few days, Shulk, the rest of the party, Maxis, and a few High Entia soldiers would take the repurposed Havres and venture to Alcamoth together. The key was to split up; if the Fog King really was as cunning as the survivors had described, Maxis reasoned the monster might’ve already made it into Alcamoth’s defense systems. Splitting into three small groups ensured that if one Havres faced complications, there were at least two others to carry everyone and, if they were lucky, survivors, back to the colony.

* * *

Shulk arrived at the docks the following morning to take a look at the Havres, only to find Maxis already there. 

“Good morning.” Shulk waved cheerily. “I didn’t expect anyone else to be here this early. We leave in two days’ time, don’t we?”

“Mm. There’s a problem, Shulk. Some crucial parts of the Havres’ are missing. On the way here, the rough seas caused massive damage to the internal parts.”

“That’s not good. Did all Havres’ sustain critical damage?”

“Not all of them.” Maxis pointed to the one at the far left. “That one sustained minimal damage. We should be able to get to Alcamoth on that one.”

“Hmm… perhaps we should delay the expedition to get these fixed.” Shulk stood in thought for a few seconds. “I’ll ask Miqol and Vanea to get repairs to these as fast as we can.” 

“You mean to delay our travels even more, Shulk? Every day we spend here in the colony, more of my men could die out there.”

Shulk bit his lip. “That’s true… I guess we’re just going to have to bring a smaller group of people. I’ll let the others know. Apologies, Maxis.”

Maxis bowed his head. “The apologies are all mine, Shulk. I do not mean to force your hand.”

From behind a few boxes, a small green Nopon watched the conversation unfold.

“Finally! Chance for Heropon Kino to finally grab spotlight!” 

A little further behind was a pink Nopon, who looked at her brother with disapproval. 

“Kino… you dum-dum is gonna get hurt by going with Mister Shulk...” 

* * *

“I’ll stay behind.” Sharla was the first to volunteer. The party sat in a group on the benches in the Commercial District while they discussed what to do next. “Linada still needs my help at the colony, so I’ll stay behind until Miqol and Vanea get the other Havres’ repaired. I’ll be right behind you guys.” 

“I’ll stay too.” Reyn raised his left arm. “If beasts like that Fog King think they can suddenly show up out of nowhere, then we can’t leave the colony defenseless. I’ll make sure everyone here is safe.” 

“Remember, this is only a temporary arrangement until the other Havres’ are repaired. You two won’t be on the sidelines for long.” 

“We better not be!” Reyn punched into his palm. “We’ve been itching to get back in a fight again.”

“Speak for yourself, Reyn! I’m glad we _haven’t_ had to fight for so long. You all are so reckless…” 

So it was decided: Duban, Melia, Shulk, and Fiora would be the first group to go to Alcamoth along with Maxis. Reyn and Sharla would follow up with the group once repairs were finished; Riki had also asked to stay behind, but it was unclear whether or not he did out of his own volition or because Oka just wanted him to stay after being away from the family for so long. 

The two days of preparation had passed quickly. Shulk, unable to sleep the night before the departure, decided to work on the Monado REX to relieve his stress.

“That should be it for tonight!” Shulk said, clapping his hands. He brought the sword into his lap as he polished it one last time. Shulk recalled what Fiora had said to him only a few days ago.

 _“_ I _just don’t understand why you need the Monado anymore, Shulk.”_

_“Zanza is gone now. We’re safe here in the colony.”_

He peered out the window into the depths of the night. It was pitch-black, but Shulk knew that the Bionis head was looming in the distance. Alcamoth was looming in the distance. The Fog King was looming in the distance.

_Zanza is gone now…?_

The Monado REX flared to life in his hands, but Shulk didn’t feel it. His hands were trembling, but they felt numb.

_So then… what is this… feeling…?_

A lifetime passed before the Monado REX deactivated on its own, and Shulk collapsed to the floor.

He stared at his shaking hands, and placed them on top of his chest. He felt his heart pound fast against his skin.

_It’s still me. It’s still me._

Shulk breathed a sigh of relief. Shulk turned off the lights in his lab and went back upstairs for some much needed rest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lots of expository dialogue in this one, but i get to reuse future connected dialogue because i'm reusing future connected characters! woohoo. 
> 
> future connected left me wanting so much more out of a xenoblade epilogue, so i wanted to write what i thought would be a fitting one. future connected characters will be used, but their roles in the story will vary from the ones they had in the original epilogue.


	2. Here Comes A Brand New World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shulk and the party get going, while Reyn goes nopon-hunting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter talks about the Havres and its two decks. If you need help to visualize it, I made this image to help myself imagine the space as well.
> 
> https://imgur.com/a/DlmBfTl

The open ocean greeted the party as the Havres’ glided through the water, a low hum of machinery clashing with the melody of the elements. Dunban and Fiora watched the colony disappear into the horizon from the interior of the ship, becoming a mere ornament to a blazing sunrise. Melia sat beside the two, staring solemnly at the horn of the fell titan in the distance.

On the ship’s top deck, Maxis steered the Havres with admirable skill as he began to explain the ship’s course to the ever-attentive Shulk, who had been taking in every single second on the sea with childlike wonder. As he spoke, Shulk noted that Maxis’ voice was one of a seasoned soldier, he spoke with the same emotional complexities as Dunban. Maxis was confidently soft spoken, telling of a history with even more sorrows than taken lives. 

“In a few days time, we should reach an inlet between the Bionis’ torso. There’s a valley there that we used as our passage to the sea.” Maxis let out a deep sigh. “We lost a lot of good men in that inlet. The waters are rapid around those parts, and the Bionis is still crumbling. It’s practically a minefield of falling rocks out there.”

The more Shulk learned about the still-decaying Bionis, the more he felt unsure of himself. The world he had recreated had once been perfect; it might’ve needed a little elbow grease, yet it was nothing that the people of the Bionis and Mechonis couldn’t handle. But now, he had learned that even with the powers of a god, he still wasn’t able to save everyone. It was as if Zanza himself was taunting Shulk from beyond the grave: _“See how limited you mortals are? Though you feign independence, you cannot escape from my domain.”_

 _The High Entia are still confined to Alcamoth. If there really were people that had survived the crumbling of the Bionis, what does that mean for the Telethia that were in Eryth Sea?_ _What’s going to happen to the people at the capital?_

Shulk chose not to think further on the subject.

In the distance, Shulk noticed large dark clouds brewing with crackling thunder. Maxis followed his eye to catch the object of the boy’s worries. “That storm’s been raging for months now, I’m afraid. The Bionis has been letting out ether at an incredibly fast rate, so the nebulae in the area have gotten much more powerful. Those water nebulae are a particular pain in the neck. Storms follow the bastards everywhere, and they travel in packs.” 

“The nebulae we had encountered were small little things,” Shulk recalled the one too many times a nebula had burst while the party was on the verge of felling it. “I didn’t know they could affect the weather like that.” 

“Normally, you would be right, they can’t. But the increased ether concentration in the air allowed the nebulae to grow far bigger than their normal size. It’s a huge problem, really.”

“Incredible…” Shulk instinctively reached for a pen in his pocket to make a note of it, but he came up empty. “Oh, will you excuse me? I need to get something on the lower deck.” 

The Havres collided hard with a wave, causing everyone to lunge forward. After getting his footing straight, Maxis waved him away. “Be my guest. I have to focus on driving this damned thing, anyway.”

Shulk was careful not to lose his balance as he climbed down inside the Havres, ever careful as he sat down next to Fiora, Melia, and the now-asleep Dunban. Fiora and Shulk both giggled at Dunban’s open-mouthed snores, a habit of his that hadn’t faded in 18 years. 

“So, where are we heading now, Shulk?” Fiora looked back out to the open sea and sighed. “I’m a little excited to be travelling again, although perhaps I shouldn’t.” Her eyes fell on Melia, who sat in silence next to her.

“You needn’t feel guilty, Fiora. I too am happy to be away from the colony.” Melia closed her eyes. “I had only wished to return home under better circumstances.” 

“Did you know that Alcamoth was out there, Melia?” Shulk rummaged through his bag for one of his large journals. 

“I had… I had always imagined it was. But I did not feel compelled to go. Not when rebuilding was at such a larval state. Besides…” Melia once again looked out towards the decaying corpse they had once called home. “I thought that all my people were safe in our new home.”

“Don’t think like that, Melia!” Fiora grabbed the empress’ hand and squeezed it. “We’ll save the survivors in Alcamoth. I know we will! Right, Shulk?” The girl nudged Shulk with her shoulder. 

“Yeah, definitely.” Shulk smiled. “I promise we won’t let you down, Melia.”

Melia blushed and turned towards the window. “You two… are always so kind. But please, there is no cause for concern. I will not let this get the best of me.”

* * *

“Reyn!” Riki’s wings lifted his round body airborne, wildly swinging back and forth. He knocked once more on the door. 

Reyn stood in the door frame in a white robe and crossed arms. “What do you want, furball? It’s only 6 in the morning, for Bionis’ sake.”

“Oka count littlepon for breakfast this morning! Oka count 9 littlepon! Reyn know what that mean?!”

Reyn counted on his fingers, coming up 2 littlepon short. “I’m sure it’s just Apo and Mimi playing at the park again, Riki. You made me walk the whole length of the colony to find them last time, remember? I don’t wanna do that again, so please--”

“Mimi and Apo were at breakfast like good little nopon children! Kino and Nene are the ones that go missing.”

“Kino… and Nene?” Reyn knew all of Riki’s children, he babysat them whenever Riki and Oka were away on colony expeditions. 

“Oka says Nene last go to Town Hall! Reyn see Bird People at Town Hall, right?”

Reyn scratched his head, trying to remember seeing the pink Nopon run around the square. “Sorry Riki, I didn’t see Kino or Nene at all yesterday… but I do know someone who might.” 

When they arrived at the square, Sharla was already there with Linada, still tending to the refugees. Reyn reached atop his head where Riki was laying and placed him on the floor. “Al- _ri_ _ght_ furball, we’re here. Let’s go meet Sharla and see if she’s seen your littlepon.” 

“Hey there, you two! You’re up early, Reyn.” Sharla waved them over. 

“Yeah, some of Riki’s kids have gone missing, so we’ve been looking around for them. You see Kino or Nene around anywhere?” Reyn put his hands around shoulder’s distance in front of him. 

“Nene’s approximately this big and pink… and you’ve seen me and Kino around before, I’m sure.”

“Ah, yes, I remember…” Sharla closed her eyes and twirled her hair. “No, I’m afraid I haven’t seen either of them around. Sorry, Riki.” She crouched down and stroked his fur. “I’m sure they’ll turn up soon, though.” 

A cheery voice spoke up from behind the three, startling Reyn and Riki. “Excuse me, I couldn’t help but overhear…” It was a High Entia man, with stark white hair and bright, nearly glowing magenta decorations on an extravagant robe he only half-wore. His left shoulder was exposed, covered by multiple bandages- Reyn knew immediately he was a recent refugee from Maxis’ convoy. “You three are looking for a nopon, correct?”

“Well, yes, actually.” Reyn sat down in front of their new guest. “D’ya think you’ve seen ‘em around?” 

The High Entia rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and then spoke. “I suppose I do remember seeing a rather large pink Nopon around these parts. But nothing in this world comes for free, you know. Especially information.” 

Reyn scoffed. “Oh, what, you want a reward? Gimme a break. We’re just trying to look for some lost kids, man. Help us out.” 

“Now, now, I never said _anything_ about not helping!” The injured refugee raised his hands in mock surrender. “I’ll tell you where I saw them last. I would just… like something in exchange, that's all.” 

Reyn looked back at Sharla and Riki, the former of whom just shrugged at him. He thought to himself for a moment, and then sighed and said “Alright, what do you want? We’re on a tight schedule here.”

The High Entia nodded in the direction of the colony docks. “I heard that there was a special convoy that was leaving back towards Alcamoth in a few days. I want to obtain safe passage back to Alcamoth on the convoy, that’s all.” 

“Ha! You really wanna go back to Alcamoth?” Reyn gestured towards the High Entia’s injured left shoulder. “I imagine that Fog King did that to you. You want one on the right to match?”

“It’s nothing about battling the Fog King.” The refugee turned his head. “I have unfinished business there, that’s all.” 

Reyn sighed and swung his arm in a circle to stretch it. _These self-righteous ones are always the most annoying to deal with._ “Fine. We can get you on the convoy. Now, where did you see that last pink nopon?”

“I saw it and another small green nopon eyeing the Havres that took off this morning. They were muttering something or another about taking after the ‘Heropon’? If I were to guess, I’d say they found a way inside and are off to Alcamoth right now.” The refugee clapped his hands together. “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you.” 

Reyn got up and walked away, waving Sharla and Riki over. 

“Could you believe that guy? That High Entia’s got a load of hogwash. Kino and Nene on their way to Alcamoth? There’s no way those kids’ve got the guts to stowaway on that ship. I say we call off the deal for giving us useless information. Right, Riki?”

Riki, however, fell silent. 

“What is it, furball?” Reyn asked, hands on his hips.

“Riki… Riki feel like Bird Person tell truth.” Riki’s eyes drooped. 

“Oh, pull the other one. C’mon, Riki, we both know what those two are like. Nene’s the responsible type, and Kino’s too timid to pull a stunt like that.”

“No! Riki _know_ Bird Person right. Riki hear it in Bird Person’s voice. Kino timid littlepon, but Kino also brave. Have heart of heropon, just like Riki.” Riki’s voice held only the slightest hint of regret. “It Riki’s fault. Riki not keep eye on Kino, and now Kino go to Alcamoth with Nene alone.” 

“You’re gonna believe him just like that?” Reyn asked. “Riki, we don’t even know this guy. Sharla, back me up here.” 

“I’ve been nursing Gael’gar for about two days now, and it’s true he doesn’t exactly seem like the most trustworthy.” Sharla sighed. “But it’s Riki’s decision whether or not to believe him. They're his children, after all.”

“Riki sure!” Riki called out. “Riki sure Gally-gar tell truth!” 

“Whatever you say, furball.” Reyn shook his head. “I still don’t believe ’im, but Sharla’s right. It’s your call.” 

The three walked back towards Gael’gar. “Fine, you’ve got yourself a proper deal. You can come with us to Alcamoth when the convoy ships out.” Reyn scratched his head. “But don’t thank me. Thank furball over here.” 

“Gally-gar good person!” Riki flapped his wings, swinging back and forth. “Riki feel it! Gally-gar just like Melly!” 

Gael’gar laughed. “I must thank you dearly for this opportunity. I promise I won’t let you down.” 

Reyn grabbed Riki by the tuft of his hair. “Don’t get too attached, furball. We all know you miss Melia, but you better not go latching on to any old High Entia.” Heropon in hand, Reyn walked out of the square to get some well-deserved rest. 

“Sorry about those two,” Sharla kneeled next to Gael’gar, tending to his wounds. “They can be quite loud at times. Are you feeling alright? No overexertion, I hope?” 

“Thank you, medic, I’m doing just fine.” Gael’gar smiled. “Although… did those two mention a ‘Melia’? As in, Melia Antiqua?” 

“Hm? Oh, yes, I suppose. She left on the first convoy to Alcamoth this morning.” 

Gael’gar raised an eyebrow. “I see… so the empress is on her way to Alcamoth…” 

“I didn’t catch that.” Sharla dabbed a cloth in a bowl of water, then held it softly against Gael’gar’s bandages. “Could you say that again?”

Gael’gar waved a hand as if to dispel the thought. “Oh, nothing. Just reminded of family matters, that’s all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter took a little longer than i would've hoped, but here it is! i hope this one's a little more readable than the last one. thank you for reading <3


	3. The Winds Of Fate Are Turning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shulk and friends encounter problems on the stormy seas.

Melia opened her eyes at midnight, being rocked awake slowly by the waves crashing slowly against the Havres. She noted the beautiful light of the moon as it shone through the windows, just barely illuminating the lower deck. Melia, taking care to not wake her slumbering friends, crept outside to the top deck, where she was surprisingly met with Fiora, not Maxis, steering. 

“It’s quite late, Melia. You almost scared me there!” Fiora giggled, returning her attention to the controls of the Havres. 

Melia returned the faintest of smiles. “I could say the same thing about you, Fiora. When did you learn how to control a Havres? And so effectively too, I must add.” 

“Oh, it’s nothing, really. I offered to learn the basics from Maxis so I could take over the night watch. He always looks so weary, y’know? I wanted to do something nice for him.” 

“You’re very kind, Fiora.” Melia stepped lightly up to the controls, stopping next to the Homs girl to admire the view. “I’ve never seen anything quite like this. It’s quite beautiful, although hard to get used to.” 

“Agreed."

The two fell silent to no fault of their own. The bewitching moment lingered in the air, the comfort of being alone with a dear friend on an open sea held their minds in place. Yet the silence began to creep its way into Melia’s thoughts, filling her with a sense of cold she had grown far too accustomed to. 

“Melia?” Fiora’s voice broke the spell, and brought the empress back to reality. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about Alcamoth.” 

“Ah, yes, what is it?” Melia acted her level-headed self, but Fiora could see through her.

“When we end up driving the Fog King out of Alcamoth… out of your home… where will you go?” Fiora traced small circles on her wrist. “I mean, it’s where your people belong, right?” 

Melia took a few seconds to respond. “I’m still not sure yet. It is true, Alcamoth is my birthplace, but it is not my home. Not anymore.” The girl sighed, and looked out towards the crown of the Bionis. It was still quite the ways away from their current position, but the horn had become much larger as the distance began to close. “The High Entia had lived in solitude for so long, they had forgotten the importance of solidarity between their Bionis brethren. It was the wish of my brother to see the peoples of Bionis work together, and we’ve made that wish come true. I look at New Colony 9 and I see not only the future of the High Entia, but the future of the Homs, Nopon, and Machina.” 

Fiora looked on thoughtfully, nodding along to Melia’s words. “I didn’t know Kallian... I wish I could’ve met him. But I know he would’ve been proud to see you lead the High Entia like you do in the colony.”

“You two would’ve gotten along well, I think. You’re both strong- the kind of strength that inspires hope in others.” The empress smiled. “You’re an inspiration to us all, Fiora.”

“Oh, don’t say that.” Fiora laughed. “But... thank you. You’re very sweet, Melia.”

A loud creaking noise from the back of the Havres’ demanded the two girls’ attention. They spun around, Fiora’s fists already balled and small sparks crackling between Melia’s fingers. The two nodded towards each other as they slowly made their way to the back half of the Havres, careful not to make their presence known to any more unwanted company.

“Wait one moments!” A pink nopon hopped out in front of them.

Melia recognized that sweet, innocent voice immediately. “...Nene? What are you going here?” Further back, she saw a small green nopon cowering behind the wings. “Kino? You too?”

The two nopon slowly drew closer, Nene taking care to shield her brother from the stares of both girls.

“Aren’t you two Riki’s kids? What’s going on here?” Fiora crouched down to stand eye-to-eye with Nene. 

“Well, it quite long story… but we want food first! Brotherpon and I not eat in many much days!”

“Have you been inside the Havres since we took off? Goodness, we’ve been on the sea for 4 days now!” Melia exclaimed.

“We should have our rations on the lower deck. I’ll go get them, you three wait here.” Fiora tip-toed down to the bottom deck.

“Oh, you two… your father must be worried sick, you know. What could’ve happened if you two had gotten hurt?” Melia’s voice was stern, yet soft. 

“We very sorry, Miss Melly…” Kino said, barely louder than a whisper. “We did not mean to cause any trouble.”

_ Oh… how could I stay mad at that?!  _ Melia opened her arms, inviting those two for a hug. “It’s alright. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt.”

When Fiora returned with the rations, the two were already in Melia’s lap, snuggled up tight with one another. The four shared a meal under the light of the moon as the stationary Havres swayed slightly with the soft waves of the sea. After enough time had passed in silence, Fiora started with the questions.

“So, why did you two decide to stowaway on the Havres?” 

Kino looked down in shamed silence. Nene spoke first: “Kino always look up to Dadapon and want to become mightiest heropon too. When Brotherpon and I overheard plight of Bird People back at square, Kino thought, maybe if help Bird People, Kino could be true heropon, just like Dadapon.”

Melia stroked Kino’s fur. “I’m sure Riki would be very proud to see you now, Kino. But it was still irresponsible of you two to board the Havres without simply asking permission first.” 

“Sincerest sorries, Miss Melly…” Nene’s eyes drooped to the floor. 

“Please, don’t blame sisterpon. It Kino’s fault. Kino act without thinking… Nene just want to protect Kino.” The nopon boy’s voice finally reached normal speaking volume. “Kino reckless because really want to repay debt to family.”

Melia noticed the puzzled look on Fiora’s face. “Kino was an orphan until sometime last year, when Riki adopted him.”

“It true!” Nene said. “One day, Riki bring home Kino and say, ‘this is new brotherpon’!” 

“That day, no one object. Everyone treat Kino like real brotherpon. Which why Kino need to repay debt to family. Kino need to become Heropon, just like Dadapon!” Kino nearly jumped out of Melia’s lap. 

“Well, I think you’re already quite courageous, you sweet little thing.” Fiora grinned. 

“You bring great honor to your family, Kino. I am certain that Riki and Oka feel the same.” Melia sat the nopon boy back in her lap.

“Hear, hear!” Fiora called. 

* * *

The following morning was hectic for everyone, with much explaining to do and a realization that the Havres hadn’t moved overnight while Melia and Fiora had tended to Kino and Nene. By noon, they resolved that the party was too far behind schedule to possibly get to Alcamoth to scout for any reasonable amount of time before the second convoy arrived. Thus, Shulk suggested that the party would meet up with the second convoy in three days’ time and make the final leg of the journey together. 

This meant they had time to kill, and the two new nopon crew members were quick to ask for a stopover on the nearby Bionis’ arm, to replenish the food rations they had almost completely halved after one night on the Havres (much to Maxis’ dismay.) 

As they approached the Bionis, however, the skies had darkened considerably. Standing on the top deck, Shulk raised his head anxiously as Maxis continued to brave the harsh winds.

“Maxis, could this be--?” Shulk remembered the conversation they had a few days ago. 

Maxis kept his eyes straight and his voice steady. “Those damn blue nebulae could be the cause of it, yes. I feel this rain will be far stronger than what my men and I experienced travelling these straits, however. Call it a soldier’s instinct- it’s almost as if the Bionis itself is tormenting us, eh?"

Shulk remained silent. 

Maxis continued on, “Shulk, I need you to get to the lower deck and keep everyone there. I’ll be fine by myself out here- I just need to focus on getting us to the Bionis’ arm. Go!” 

Shulk nodded and slipped down to the lower deck, where everyone remained bundled up together. 

“Clouds look very scary!” Kino cried. “Can sense storm!” 

“You may be right, Kino. But we need to place our trust in Maxis. He’ll get us to safety soon.” Dunban pet the nopon boy, who was sitting in his lap.

“Shulk?” Fiora recognized the boy’s expression as being deep in heavy thought. “What’s up?” 

Shulk didn’t meet her eyes. “It’s nothing.” 

Fiora rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t give me that. Tell us what’s on your mind, Shulk! It’s written all over your face.” 

Shulk took a seat nearby everyone else, hesitating a moment before he spoke. “Something doesn’t feel right. It feels like, just maybe, the Bionis is still alive.” His words were slow, and Fiora could tell they were carefully chosen. 

“What ever do you mean, Shulk? Do you wish to imply that Zanza is still alive?” Melia crossed her legs.

“I’m still not sure. I know that it could just be nothing at all. But I  _ do _ feel… something.” 

“Perhaps you just need some rest, Shulk. You look like you haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep in days.” said Melia. 

“Yeah, maybe that’s it. I’ll get some rest before we arrive at the Bionis’ arm.” Shulk yawned. “Maxis told me to keep you all down here while he steers the Havres. That means nobody leaves the bottom deck, alright?” Shulk’s eyes fell on Kino and Nene. 

“Yessir, Mister Shulk!” saluted Nene. Kino nodded in affirmation. 

* * *

Shulk woke up an unknown amount of time later due to a loud crash of metal with debris. His body moved quicker than his mind, grabbing the Monado REX from his bag on the floor next to him. As he clutched it’s hilt to his chest, his blurry vision adjusted to see Melia, Kino, and Nene on the lower deck with him. 

“What was that sound?” Shulk’s eyes were frantic, looking towards the steps to get to the upper deck. “Where’s Fiora and Dunban?” 

“They had just ran above to help Maxis.” Melia responded, her calm voice giving Shulk a reason to breathe. “Maxis called for help.”

“I- I have to go help them,” Shulk said, stumbling towards the exit. “They could be in danger-” 

“Shulk, don’t act recklessly. It’s dangerous for multiple people to be on the top deck right now. and besides-” Melia nodded towards the two nopon, in deep sleep, beside her. “We can’t let these two out of our sight.” 

Before Shulk could open his mouth to resist, Melia spoke again. “Dunban and Fiora can handle themselves up there. If they need our help, we will be the first to know.” 

Shulk breathed a sigh of defeat and sat down, using the replica Monado as a crutch. “What happened? How long has it been since I fell asleep?” 

Melia looked out the window to see pounding rain and dark skies. “I’m not sure. But we’ve been weathering this harsh storm for a few hours at this point. We’re close to the Bionis’ arm, but we can’t find a safe spot to dock the Havres.” Melia turned back towards Shulk. “Are you alright? You look unwell.” 

Shulk looked up at the High Entia girl. “Huh? Oh, I’m doing just fine.” Shulk’s voice was still shaken up. Melia resisted the urge to scoff at the obvious lie.

“It’s just… I can’t help but notice how tightly you’re gripping that sword.” 

Wordlessly, the Monado REX slipped out of Shulk’s grasp and made a light thump as it hit the floor.    


“I know, I know. I’m just nervous, I guess. There’s a lot riding on our safe passage to Alcamoth, and I couldn’t bear the guilt if anything happened to you, or Kino, or Nene, or any of the others.” Shulk looked out the window. “Something is definitely wrong with the Bionis. I can feel it. I can’t just sit around and act like everything’s okay.” 

Shulk glanced at Melia, who nodded as if to give him permission to continue. Shulk returned to watch the rain pound the ocean’s surface out the window. “Every night, I sleep feeling like there’s danger just around the corner. I couldn’t allow anything bad to happen to the colony- that’s why I commissioned the Monado REX. So that when something happened- something like the Fog King, I could be ready.” 

Shulk sighed deeply, throwing his hands in the air. “But the Fog King already came! It came to Alcamoth and it took lives under my watch. I couldn’t save the people in Alcamoth, Melia. I couldn’t reach them, like I couldn’t reach Kallian, or Egil, or-” He noticed the window he had been staring at had been clouded by a green mist-like substance, something Shulk almost immediately recognized as ether. 

_ It’s unnatural for ether like that to be so visible. Is the Havres… emitting ether particles? Did this start leaking when the Havres crashed into something earlier?  _ Shulk recalled the loud noise that startled him awake.

_ Wait… high concentrations of ether…  _ He remembered something- a story that had been told to him following his awakening after the events in the Mechonis Core. About the Havres emitting large ether particles, ones meant… _ to turn High Entia into Telethia! _

Shulk whipped his head to see Melia with her eyes shut tightly, clutching her head in what the boy assumed was immense pain. “Melia! Are you alright?” He rushed over, kneeling in front of her.

Melia exhaled a lighter green mist. “I’m... okay.” She opened her eyes, and Shulk caught that they were glowing ever so softly in the darkness of the lower deck. She suddenly gripped her head, her wings folding as if to guard her from danger. “My head feels so strange…” 

Shulk sighed in relief.  _ That’s right, Melia has Homs blood in her. She won’t turn like the other High Entia do... but the high levels of ether can’t be doing any good for her body.  _ “Don’t worry, Melia. I’ll get you some help.”

“Meh-meh?” Kino opened his eyes slowly to see Shulk leaning over Melia, still overwhelmed by the ether in the air. “Miss… Miss Melly?” He shuffled in place, prompting Nene to awaken as well.

Shulk saw the two nopon awake and smiled softly. “I’m glad you two are up! Listen, I need you guys to stay close with me- we’re going to the top deck. It’s a little dangerous, but I need to help Melia, okay?” 

The siblings meekly nodded, feeling the severity of the situation hanging in the air. Shulk moved to carry Melia in his arms when his eyes caught the discarded Monado REX on the floor. Without thinking, he placed the sword on his back, and turned around to carry Melia in his arms.

“S-Shulk! What is the meaning of this?” Her exhale at the end of the sentence still produced a misty cloud of ether.

“You’re not safe down here with all of this ether in the air. We need to get you to the upper deck.” Shulk carried her towards the exit of the Havres.

“That’s absurd! I’m perfectly fine.” Betraying her own words, her hand found rest on her forehead again. 

It was raining, but Shulk didn’t care. The winds howled as he took every cautious step forward, taking precaution not to slip and fall while he was holding the High Entia empress. The Monado REX swung back and forth, hitting himself on the back multiple times. Shulk pushed forward.

Kino and Nene were right behind the Homs, holding each other’s hand as the rain poured in harsh torrents on the upper deck.

Fiora and Dunban were hard at work gripping the controls, trying to stabilize the balance of the ship, while Maxis stood at the front, still trying to navigate the Havres the best he could.

The clouds above them began swirling. Shulk took another step onto the upper deck. “Maxis!” he called. “What’s going on here?!” 

Fiora and Dunban turned to see Shulk holding Melia, stepping ever closer in spite of the rain.

“Shulk!” Dunban yelled. “Get back to the lower deck!” 

“Wait, Dunban! What’s wrong with Melia?” Fiora took her eyes off of the controls for a mere moment. Something deep within Shulk told him that disaster was about to strike. 

In an instant, the clouds split and a roaring thunderbolt crashed, barely missing the Havres to the amazement of everyone on board. It was in that chaotic instant that the Havres careened off course and smashed into debris that was barely visible in the torrential downpour.

Time slowed to an agonizing stop. Dunban had grabbed Fiora’s arm to keep her from falling into the water, but Fiora and Shulk made eye contact as the force of the crash flung Shulk and the High Entia girl in his arms into the air. He desperately scanned the scene for Kino or Nene, but he had lost sight of them. He closed his eyes as he braced for impact with the water below him. 

He clutched the High Entia girl tightly to his body as the two landed in the water rapids with a resounding splash. To the boy’s alarm, he felt the Monado REX slip off of his back- but he refused to let go of Melia. In one last ditch effort to stay afloat, Shulk attempted to find footing in the water, but resistance to the waves was futile. The Havres slowly drifted away in the water, disappearing behind a large wave. Frustrated, Shulk let out a loud cry, not caring who could hear him.

Barely afloat in his arms, Melia had fallen unconscious, still breathing small breaths of green mist. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> featuring more re-using future connected dialogue ahaha... but this should be the last of it for the rest of the fic! 
> 
> this chapter was a little delayed and a little long, but i hope you enjoyed anyway! thank you very much for reading.


	4. Bringers of the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party wakes up after the shipwreck.

Fiora awoke on the beach, the clouds still a dark shade of gray and rain lightly pouring on her body. She sat up quickly, her eyes struggling to focus on her new surroundings. As her vision cleared, she found herself in a place not quite like anywhere she had been before. The trees behind her were dense, but not towering over her like the canopy in Makna Forest. The sand was an ash color, and it slipped through her fingertips as she stood up and patted herself down. 

She noticed a deep black cape covered in sand. She recognized it immediately as Dunban’s, though it was a little torn and tattered by the journey. That jogged her memory well enough; Fiora recalled she had tried to grab onto the cape as she was being blown off the Havres, only for it to come off Dunban’s neck and send her flying into the water. For safekeeping and admittedly, a little self indulgence, she fastened the cape onto her own collar and continued walking down the sandy beach. 

“Dunban? Maxis?” Fiora cupped her hands to her mouth.

...No response. _That’s okay!_ Fiora thought to herself. _I just need to find some shelter and make a signal fire._

She jogged along the beach, searching for some supplies- maybe they were thrown off the Havres with her? But found nothing of interest. Soon after, she turned to the green canopy and began seeking a place to set up camp.

The Bionis’ arm forest was more of a swamp. Fiora found herself trudging through shallow muddy water and lost in a maze of vines and overgrowth. The girl was undeterred by these inconveniences however, and they only served to strengthen her resolve. Fiora pushed through the mud with a smile on her face and humming a small tune to keep her going. 

* * *

When Melia rose, Shulk had already collapsed of exhaustion. 

It was up to her to piece together the events of the previous… day? Night? Week, even? Melia couldn’t tell how long it had been since she was last conscious. The storm blowing outside under normal circumstances would’ve meant it had only been a few hours, but Shulk had informed the party that the storms the nebulae in the area could create would last indefinitely. 

Melia breathed deeply, taking in her surroundings. The fire in the nearby pit had completely burned out, and the cave she found herself and Shulk in was quite shallow, barely a few meters deep. No visible sign of any of their belongings, however. The empress deduced that the Havres and related crew would have had to continue on to where they would rendevouz with the second convoy, which meant there was no time to return for the two stranded on the Bionis arm.

Melia turned around at the unconscious boy across the cave from her. At first glance, he looked as if to be sleeping quite peacefully, yet…

Melia knelt slowly next to the Homs and placed a delicate hand on his forehead. As she suspected, his forehead ran cold. Slowly, Melia took over Shulk’s outer vest and rolled up the sleeves of Shulk’s shirt, her eyes widening to see dark marks covered on his arms: signs of heavy ether damage. She gently lifted up the rest of his sweater to see that his torso remained largely uninjured. 

“Your arms took the brunt of a powerful blast… Shulk, what happened to you?” Melia thought aloud. 

Thunder roared far outside Shulk and Melia’s refuge. Melia bit her lip and stood up, brushing off her clothes. Though she didn’t have her staff, the empress had the feeling she would be confronting the source of Shulk’s injuries whether she wanted to or not.

Melia approached the mouth of the cave, noticing an increased downpour and a stronger sense of ether in the air. In her right hand, small sparks of lightning crackled between steady fingers, rising and falling in intensity with the High Entia girl’s tempered breaths. She was mentally preparing for what she assumed would be the first battle she had had in a very long time.

With another crack of thunder, Melia shot out of the cave with blinding speed, the sparks in her right hand crackling into a huge ball of electricity. Her eyes darted around her environment, and that’s when she saw the gigantic blue nebula, a highly concentrated source of ether exponentially bigger than the smaller versions the party had encountered over the course of their journey. It was idling, no, _waiting_ , above the cave that Shulk had made their temporary camp.

She flicked two more balls of lightning into existence, allowing them to circle around her as she slowly took a step back into the forest canopy in order to put a significant distance between her and the nebula: they were both fighters that kept their distance; it was merely a test of stamina, one that Melia was unsure she had recovered enough to handle. Yet there was no room for hesitation, the nebula had already seemingly noticed the girl and fired off a short blast in her general direction. 

Melia punched forward, firing off a ball of lightning straight at the nebula. As she opened her palm, she cried, “Let my thunderous heart silence your feeble soul!”

On contact, the bolt exploded onto the nebula, who took the blow with unflinching indifference. A return volley of water ether was sent at the girl, who was still exhaling from the force of the first discharge. A quick dodge to the right was enough for the blasts to barely graze Melia’s leg, but she planted her feet firmly in the ground, to keep her from falling over. The empress stared down the nebulae in front of her. The pounding rain blurred her vision for a fraction of a second, and that’s when the nebula struck, shapeshifting into a long whip and cracking at the girl, striking her square in the ribs. 

Melia flew backwards, tumbling before she found her footing, discharging her bolt summons to her front and back, shielding her for just as long as she needed to stand up. The nebula had no interest in pursuing the High Entia girl, and instead remained planted on top of the cave entrance, as if waiting for Shulk to come out. Melia let out a frustrated growl as three electric bolts reappeared around her, emanating an intense amount of power. Once again, she took a moment to breathe before reapproaching the nebula. In the back of her mind, she remembered her combat training many years ago. 

“Think of a High Entia as an untapped fountain of the Bionis’ ether,” lectured a voice without a face. “The staffs that us powerful ether users use are a conduit to control the ether that we fire in battle. Else, we risk emitting large amounts of ether which can… harm our fellow brethren.” 

Melia knew she was never meant to be out on the field in combat. But she had insisted to both her father and brother, and ended up with private lessons with the royal guard’s combat instructor. It was this small act of rebellion that Melia took pride in, and perhaps it was also that sense of rebellion that Melia had always taken every lesson taught by the combat instructor without question. It was only in this instant she realized why it was prohibited for the royal family, the most potent ether users in Alcamoth, were never seen using their powers without staffs. She now knew what releasing a large amount of ether energy meant for High Entia, who most often fought in groups. 

Yet in the moment, unbound by the restrictive nature of her usual staffs and forced to fight using only the latent power she carried within, something in Melia’s mind finally clicked.

Larger sparks shot between her fingers, and her eyes began to glow a deep shade of green once more.The green mist began to blur her vision, but the High Entia girl had barely even noticed. Her senses were heightened, and her heart pounded with adrenaline unlike anything the empress had ever felt. Melia’s breathing slowed down as she took deep, focused breaths, clutching her head. The power made her head feel numb, but it dulled her other feelings. She felt like a primordial power had taken control of her, but she had no time to process her newfound powers. The nebulae fired a few more shots at the girl, hoping to break her focus, to no avail. They seemed to dissipate in the swirling aura of ether that had surrounded the girl. 

At a mere wave of her wrist, she summoned countless more bolts to surround herself, ready to cast them at a moment’s notice. She almost felt like laughing- an uphill battle turned on its head in an instant. As she pointed at the nebulae, ready to discharge her elementals at full force, she yelled, “Be consumed by the fury of the storms!” 

The overgrown nebula had no chance to defend itself as lightning crashed in a circle around the monster until eventually finding its mark on the nebula itself. It toppled to the floor in front of the cave, where it floated up to meet Melia’s glowing green eyes. 

* * *

The rain kept Dunban awake.

It had been 3 days since the Havres crash had knocked Fiora overboard and Dunban decided to chase after her. 

By now, he had figured, Maxis had escorted Kino and Nene to the rendezvous point. There, they would meet with Reyn and the others and work out a plan of retrieval for Melia, Shulk, Fiora and himself. Dunban’s job was to round up the other three for retrieval, but that proved far more difficult than it had originally seemed. The swamp on the Bionis’ arm was dense, and the constant rain masked any trace of life: footsteps were almost impossible to hear with the rain and swaying of leaves, and footprints were quickly washed off and covered by the elements. Though the edge of the storm had found itself to be more forgiving, the sun and moon shining through every few hours as the storm moved further inland, Dunban had never felt more lost, trudging through the remains of the Bionis, a sight which he might have called beautiful under different circumstances. For now, it was merely an unnavigable prison. 

Thunder roared in the distance. 

_There it is again._ Dunban had decided that there was no way to track a person in this forest- at least, through traditional means. For the past day, Dunban had been chasing thunder, and his reasoning was quite simple: the storms in the area were controlled by nebulae, so perhaps the lightning bolts had to be made of the nebulae as well. They may not look it, just being balls of ether, but they were intelligent, territorial creatures, and Dunban knew that they would only try to defend themselves if they sensed a threat in their ‘area’. Duban suspected that the lightning that caused the Havres to crash was no accident, and the lightning he heard in the forest wasn’t, either. He began tracking down the source once more.

Dunban’s movements were swift and efficient, he wasted no time bogged down by vines or overgrowth. In his few days surviving in the forest, the soldier had learned that the swamp felt very much alive, that it payed to respect the trees, the soil, and the animals that lived in it. The forest would reject that which was not natural. He would build traps to catch animals and find them strangely destroyed a few hours later. Cutting through a bed of flowers would get him hopelessly lost in a dense canopy of trees. Dunban learned to move in tandem with the forest, and he found that these new paths found themselves less filled with distractions. 

Suddenly, through the forest, he heard a voice. 

Dunban felt he recognized the voice, but it was still masked by the rain. Tentatively, he called. “Fiora?” 

The voice trailed off, followed by the rustling of trees. Whoever it was, they had heard him, and they were coming closer. Dunban leapt to action once more, carefully moving through the swamp. “Are you there, Fiora?” 

Dunban encountered a large ditch that cut across the forest, almost splitting it in two. He peered over the edge and saw raging waters, a considerable distance down. The voices he had heard were ahead of him, but… 

Dunban did not back down. He took a few steps back, and ran towards the gap at a full sprint, leaping at the edge of the cliff. His feet collided with the wet surface of the other side of the cliff, causing him to slip backwards off the edge with a strained grunt. 

Dunban reached out his left arm to grab onto something, anything when-

“Dunban!” 

A familiar voice followed by a firm grasping of the soldier’s hand sent chills down Dunban’s spine. Reyn lifted the man off the edge of the cliff and hoisted him onto the ground next to him, where they both gasped for air. 

“What… what are you doing here? Is Maxis with you?” Dunban breathed.

“No, we thought he was with you.” 

“We?”

Reyn looked behind him. “Guys? You there?”

Out of the trees came running Sharla and Fiora, both out of breath. Sharla was carrying her rifle attached tightly on her back while Fiora emerged in Dunban’s dashing cape.

“Don’t run off like that, Reyn!” Sharla panted. “This forest is like a maze!”

“Sorry…” Reyn scratched his head. “But look who I found.” 

Fiora’s eyes lit up. “Dunban!” 

“Fiora!” 

Dunban shakily stood up in time to catch Fiora’s warm embrace. “I see you’ve kept my cape safe.”

“Oh, this? It’s practically mine, now. We’ve already been through so much together! There’s no way you’re getting it back.” The two laughed. 

“So where did you meet Fiora, you two? And where’s Riki?”

Sharla spoke up. “We travelled in two separate Havres’. Riki’s not alone- he’s with another High Entia named Gael’gar. Don’t worry, he’s in good hands.” 

Dunban nodded. “I see.” 

“We were going to travel together on the way to Alcamoth, but we found… well…” Sharla cast a look at Reyn. 

Attached to the gunlance on Reyn’s back was a long luggage bag. Reyn unhooked it from his weapon and opened it for Dunban to see. “We found this.” 

Dunban’s eyes widened as Sharla continued. “We got off once we saw it, looking for him. But we ended up finding Fiora’s signal fire first. She told us what happened, and we were on our way to look for everyone else when Reyn said he heard a voice.”

“Hmm…” Dunban began to recount his days spent in the forest, along with his plans to chase after the source of the lightning. As if on cue, thunder roared once again, drawing the attention of the party. 

“So, you really think Shulk n’ Melia are over there?” Reyn stretched his shoulder. 

Dunban nodded. “Call it a soldier’s instinct, but yes.” 

Reyn handed him the bag. “If we’re gonna meet that nebulae, you’ll need this, old man. You can use it better than any of us.” 

Dunban looked back at Fiora, who simply nodded. “It’s _okay_ , Dunban. Just don’t overdo it, okay?”

* * *

Shulk’s body ached. He opened his eyes and was relieved to find himself in the same cave he had taken Melia after she collapsed. 

He sat up slowly, his arms still weak from his injuries. “Melia?” He called out, weakly. He was met with no response. He struggled to get to his feet, as a blinding light flashed outside and was followed by a deafening crash of lightning. 

“Oh, no…” he whispered. “Melia…” 

He wobbled slowly towards the mouth of the cave to see what he had feared: the High Entia girl was surrounded by large elemental summons and a green aura. The nebula had retreated a few feet backwards to keep its distance, but Melia drew closer, slightly crouched, with her arms dangling wildly, glowing as if ready to unleash a powerful ether attack. 

“Feel the sting of your enlightenment and be released!” She yelled, raising her two arms at once. Shulk raised two arms to shield himself from afar as a harsh bright green light was emitted from the empress’ hands, accompanied by an equally powerful cry. 

The nebula slowly dissipated in the blast, releasing the huge amounts of ether into the air. Melia fell on her knees as Shulk ran to her side, keeping her from falling to the floor. “Melia! Are you alright?” His voice shook with worry. The rain hadn’t subsided, and instead only increased in intensity as the green aura dissipated around Melia and she fell unconscious once more. Maxis’ voice echoed in the back of his mind, as he moved to pick up Melia back to the cave.

_“Storms follow the bastards everywhere, and they travel in packs.”_

From the sky descended two nebulae, surrounding Shulk and the unconscious Melia. Shulk stood, moving in a slow circle around the girl, trying to keep a visual on both of the enemies at once. Shulk breathed slowly, for a brief second closed his eyes, trying to concentrate hard.

_What are my options here? There’s no way I can escape both the nebulae while carrying Melia, and I can’t leave her here. I need to think of a way to lure these guys away from Melia… but how?_

Shulk’s time was up, as the front nebulae began glowing slightly, which was indicative to Shulk that he was about to be met face-first with a large ether blast. 

“Shulk!” Called a voice he was all too happy to hear again.

Reyn swiftly ran in, pushing Shulk out of the way of the blast and blocked the shot with his defense force gunlance. “I’ll take this one! Dunban, Sharla- this other one’s up to you!” 

Two gunshots rang in the air as the nebulae behind Reyn was hit with two small ether shell explosions. Sharla appeared on the horizon, carrying her signature steaming rifle. 

Reyn shoved the nebulae he was facing back, leaving room for Shulk to rush in and pick up Melia. As he picked up the girl, the second nebulae recovered from flinching and reeled back to make a whip at Shulk. The boy turned, shielding Melia from harm, when he heard the sound of ether blade colliding with ether. 

Dunban had appeared in front of him, wielding the Monado REX in a guard stance; his two heels planted firmly onto the ground as the crimson blade crackled with electricity and the blue ether collided with the aqua nebula’s whip. “Sorry to keep you waiting, but you need to get to safety _now_ , Shulk!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i took a break from writing in the middle of this chapter in order for me to finish it with a fresh mind. i hope i was able to deliver something that felt different than the other chapters, i took care to write in a lot of little details that hint at later events. i hope you will stick around to read those, too. thank you for reading! <3


	5. Sword of Foretellings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shulk watches the party finish off the nebula, while Gael'gar proceeds to Alcamoth.

Gael’gar meditated on the lower deck of the Havres, listening intently to the storm that raged outside. Riki looked on in confusion, frantically waving his arms in front of Gael’gar’s face. 

“Helloo-oo? Gally-gar awake? Who steer ship if Gally-gar and Rik both down here?!”

Gael’gar laughed softly. “There’s a storm out there, can’t you see? I can’t manually pilot the ship while it’s still dangerous out there.”

“Then how ship still move? Riki scared of ghosts!” 

“I was part of the Royal Guard, you know. Setting this thing on autopilot is the first thing we were taught before we were allowed to fly out to Sword Valley.”

Riki didn’t understand a single word Gael’gar said, but pretended like he did, and nodded.  _ Bird People have strange metal birds…  _

Thunder clapped in the distance, the impact shaking the Havres slightly in the rapid waters. Riki looked at the ceiling of the deck, startled. “Riki no like that! Wake Riki up when bad weather over!” 

Gael’gar nodded without opening his eyes. “We should be in Alcamoth soon, so don’t expect to nap for long, Sir Heropon.” 

* * *

Dunban wielded the Monado REX with frightening precision, with light jabs that put considerable distance between Dunban and the nebula while simultaneously assuring that the nebula couldn’t escape without being punished for not defending itself. Dunban had always been light on his feet, and his dazzling movements combined with his familiarity of the Monado shocked Shulk from afar. 

_ Amazing,  _ Shulk thought to himself, watching the battle unfold.  _ It’s as if he never stopped using the Monado. _

“Shulk, help me out here!” Fiora nudged his arm to get his attention. She gestured for Shulk to hold Melia’s arms gently as she rummaged through Sharla’s bag and produced a roll of bandages. “Here, hold that steady. Look at this ether damage… they look like Dunban’s injuries, don’t they?” 

Shulk nodded, but, as usual, he was barely listening. He could only watch as the fight continued outside.

“Yah!” Reyn yelled as his gunlance shoved through a powerful blast of ether. “Sharla! Over here!” An explosion of blue healing ether delivered from afar restored Reyn’s fighting spirit. “Aw yeah! Thanks, Sharla!” 

The first nebulae was particularly persistent to keep engaging Reyn in close combat, but he didn’t think much of it. As per usual, he focused entirely on offense, allowing Sharla to provide Dunban and himself support from afar. He could sure do without the rain, though. A few days away from home in an unfamiliar forest? It was no surprise that he felt as if he was being whittled down by the environment itself. 

“Reyn! Watch out!” Dunban rushed towards the boy and knocked an incoming projectile back at the nebula, who absorbed it without any trouble. “Pay attention to your surroundings!” 

“Sorry, sorry! I lost focus for a sec.” Reyn winding his gunlance arm back to retaliate. “Get a load of this, ya gassy prick! Overdrive Edge!” The tip of his gunlance turned a bright orange as the auburn unleashed a flaming hot horizontal slash at the nebula. The nebula reeled back in what Reyn could only assume was pain, as the air around them sizzled with steam. Reyn’s gunlance arm fell limply to his side, weapon dragging on the floor as Reyn charged the nebula head on. Reyn leapt into the air and delivered a satisfying kick to the nebula, who crashed into the floor and dissipated into mist. 

Dunban continued to dance around the nebula he was fighting, predicting every small feint the nebula tried to pull, and his light feet allowed him to close the distance before the nebula could escape. As Shulk watched from afar, however, he felt as if something was wrong. It was upon further inspection that the problem wasn’t with Dunban, but his weapon. The Monado REX was  _ steaming _ through continued use, and Shulk could see the weapon become more and more unstable with each swing as the sword began to wildly shake in Dunban’s hands.

A rare missed strike from Dunban was punished when the nebula whipped the soldier’s torso, using this opportunity to finally retreat to a safe distance where the it could safely fire projectiles. Reyn and Sharla turned as the nebula reared back to fire a massive blast at Dunban, who had been brought to his knees by the last attack. The Monado REX lay at Dunban’s knees, deactivated yet still steaming with heat. 

Immediately, Reyn sprinted towards the nebula while Sharla made her way to Dunban. Reyn jabbed his gunlance in the nebula’s core, attempting to deter the monster from shooting. 

“Dunban, stay here. Reyn and I can finish the fight.” Sharla said, trying to convince Dunban who was struggling to stand using the Monado REX as a crutch. “I… can still fight.” Dunban responded, his legs shaking as he stood up. He swung the Monado REX to life once more. 

“Dunban, we’ll be  _ fine.  _ There’s nothing you’ll lose if you stand down here.” 

“Even so, there’s no harm in a extra help, Sharla.” Dunban held firm with a shaky smile. “We don’t know if there’s more reinforcements coming, either. We need to kill this last one while we have the chance.”

Sharla sighed, letting her rifle cool off. “Always the hero, Dunban. Do you have an ounce in you that feels fatigue?”

Dunban laughed. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. But there’s only glory in a battle hard-won.”

The nebula shrugged Reyn off into the dirt. Dunban charged in with the Monado REX, Sharla only a few meters behind him shooting two electrically charged bullets that whizzed past Dunban’s ear and burst at the nebula, briefly stunning it enough for Dunban to deliver the finishing blow. He sliced straight through the nebula’s core and it burst instantly, sending Dunban flying backwards, gracefully landing on his feet.

The Monado REX, however, sputtered one last creak before the front edge of the sword broke, falling off of the handle. 

“Oh, no!” Shulk exclaimed, running to Dunban as the soldier picked up the metal piece and began walking back towards the cave. Fiora waved the party over with the still-unconscious Melia laying on her lap. The sky began to clear up to a luscious orange sunset.

* * *

The party sat around the fire, recounting their stories of the previous few days. Shulk sat in focus between Fiora and Reyn, trying to re-attach the blade of the Monado with makeshift tools out of nearby rocks and sticks he found nearby to little effect.

“What about you, Shulk?” Sharla had clearly noticed his struggle. “What happened to you and Melia after you went overboard?”

Shulk looked up to see everyone staring at him. He placed his eyes on Melia, who was lay with her eyes closed against the wall of the cave. She hadn’t waken up since the fight with the nebula.

“Oh, um… not much, really. We walked through the forest for a long while, trying to find our way to some shelter. We were attacked by some monsters, but didn’t get a good look at them.” 

“Oh?” Dunban raised an eyebrow. “Did you meet other nebulae, perhaps?”

Shulk scratched his head. “Probably. They overwhelmed us pretty quick. It’s been a blur- I don’t remember much of it, sorry.”

“No worries, Shulk.” Reyn put his shoulder around him. “Melia must’ve been exhausted from the attack, too. No wonder she had collapsed by the time we got here.” 

Shulk only nodded. 

“Either way,” Reyn continued, “we should get moving back towards the Havres me n’ Sharla were piloting. Those things are complicated little machines, y’know? Nothing like the defense force buggies.” 

Everyone murmured in agreement. “I know how to pilot them!” Fiora raised her hand. “Maxis taught me the basics before we were separated. With the storms gone, we should be able to get to Alcamoth in one piece.” 

With the resolve to rest and get back to Reyn and Sharla’s Havres in the morning, the party headed to bed, with Shulk taking the first watch. For the first hour, sat at the mouth of the cave, tinkering with the Monado REX a little longer. Closer to what Shulk would imagine was midnight, the boy took a look at the party to make certain they were all in deep slumber. Stealthily, he put down the Monado REX and began to make headway through the forest. 

“Just  _ where  _ do you think you’re going?” asked Sharla, right behind him. Shulk zipped around.

“Sharla! I, uh, I was going to go get some water-” 

Sharla pulled out a canister from behind her and tossed it at Shulk. “Figured you’d say that.” She sighed, almost disappointed. “I could tell you weren’t telling the whole truth earlier, you know.” 

“I’m… sorry.” 

“It’s okay, Shulk. But you can be open about this stuff to us. You know you’re bad at keeping secrets.” 

“Okay, okay, I get it. I was just going down to the river to look for some Pure Cherries. I’ve been feeling down lately, and I figured that I could use some to clear my mind.”

Sharla raised an eyebrow. “The same Pure Cherries that Nopon use as anesthetics?”

“...Yes?”

“Alright, Shulk, be honest with me. Where are you injured right now?”

The two made eye contact for a few seconds before Shulk gave in. “Just don’t tell the others, okay?” The boy pulled back the sleeves of his arms to reveal the heavy ether damage marks that he had sustained. Sharla gasped. 

“Shulk, these are--” She had kept a record of the types of injuries all the monsters they had encountered across their travels could inflict, and there was only one that could inflict  _ this  _ type of ether damage. 

“I know what they are. But you  _ cannot  _ tell anyone.” 

“Does Melia know, at least?”

Shulk bit his lip. “Yes.” 

Sharla could tell Shulk wasn’t being entirely truthful, but he certainly wasn’t lying. “Alright, fine. But when we get back to the Havres, I have some medicine that can help treat these injuries.”

Shulk nodded. “Thank you, Sharla.” 

The medic turned back towards the cave and gestured for Shulk to come with her. Shulk followed suit, and returned to keeping watch. Sharla made herself comfortable- as comfortable as you can be in a cave, anyway- and tried to get herself to sleep despite what she had seen.

_ Why would Shulk want to hide those Telethia scars? _

* * *

“Everyone ready?” Fiora called over her shoulder. She stood at the helm of the Havres, Reyn next to her. 

“We’re good to go, Fiora.” Dunban shouted from the lower deck. Once again, the party was on the river on the way to Alcamoth. 

“Soooo…” Reyn said, looking at the large control panel in front of him. “You press this one, right?” He reached a finger towards a button which was slapped away by Fiora. 

“Oh,  _ don’t  _ tell me you’ve been using that to steer…” 

After getting their bearings, Fiora and Reyn stood back and watched the Havres fly slowly through the narrow river in silence. 

“I hope Kino and Nene are okay.” Reyn spoke suddenly.

“Maxis is a kind man. They should be in good hands.” 

“Yeah, I know, I know. It just… it must be rough to be out there with only a stranger. Especially without your parents.” Reyn crossed his arms. “Kino’s probably scared out of his mind.” 

The two fell silent again. 

“You... care for them an awful lot, Reyn. It’s surprisingly sweet of you.” 

“How could I not?” Reyn shrugged. “They’re Riki’s kids. I hang out with them whenever Shulk’s got his head too deep in his lab work, and believe me he’s been  _ busy _ with that sword recently. It’s a shame it broke. He worked for a good while on that one.”

“Don’t you think it’s weird? That sword, I mean.” 

“Whaddya mean?” 

Fiora sighed, choosing her next words delicately. “It’s just, why is he so attached to the thing? The Monado was a powerful weapon, but it hurt all of those people… I can’t imagine why he would ever want to replicate it.” 

The auburn sat in silence for a minute, thinking about what to say. 

“It’s not healthy, that part’s for sure. But I reckon the Monado is more than just Zanza’s weapon to Shulk. You weren’t there for the start of our journey, but Shulk trusted the Monado more than he trusted  _ me _ sometimes. And when Zanza took the original away from him, he had those replicas.” Reyn closed his eyes.

“Y’know how you- or, er, Meyneth- had a Monado? And Shulk had another Monado, too, when we were fighting Zanza back up there. Shulk gave up all three to create this new world- at least, that’s what he told us, right? Ain’t that proof enough that the Monado isn’t all bad?” 

“I guess you’re right.” Fiora leaned back against the railing of the Havres. “I was attached to Meyneth’s strength, too. But Shulk needs to learn how to stand on his own, without the Monado.” 

“He will, Fiora. Maybe he just needs time.”

* * *

A Havres pulled into the basin that had once been Eryth Sea. A High Entia man stood out the bow of the ship, looking towards his home, the imperial capital, Alcamoth. 

Maxis was helping Kino and Nene off the ship when he heard a voice come from behind. 

“You’re…” 

Maxis turned to see a wide-eyed white haired High Entia staring him down. “Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met before… are you a part of the second convoy? We must’ve arrived at the colony in different Havres, then. My apologies.”

“I… Yes, of course… I don’t suppose you  _ would  _ remember me...” Gael’gar composed himself quickly, not letting his shocked impression stay on his face for more than a few seconds.

“Sorry, I didn’t quite hear you. My name is Maxis.”

“Oh, pay it no mind. I’m Gael’gar.” The white haired man extended a hand. “It’s good to be home, isn’t it?”

Maxis nodded. “I suppose. There is the matter of the Fog King to take care of.” 

“Really? I don’t think it will be a problem at all. The  _ empress _ is with us, isn’t she?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hate writing fight scenes, but i sure hope you couldn't tell! this chapter was a little foggy in my head for the longest time, but with it out of the way we can move on to bigger and better things. thanks for reading! <3
> 
> (also that fiora line is partially an excuse for me to plug my fic about fiora regenerating her body it's my favorite thing i've written please read that)


	6. Drifting Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tyrea meets some familiar faces.

Tyrea was tired. 

Over a year ago, she had lost her mother after she had transformed into a Telethia. Tyrea had spent what she thought would be the last of her days trudging through Makna Forest, trying to find passage to the top of Makna Falls. It was in this brief time that she met Teelan. 

Teelan was a kindhearted boy with lofty plans. Wanting to prevent future mutations of High Entia was one thing, but  _ reversing  _ the transformation after they had turned seemed impossible. Yet Teelan was never deterred by what Tyrea thought was impossible or not. The boy had a goal, and he was going to make sure that the goal was achieved.  _ However _ , that meant Teelan was constantly putting himself in danger. 

Tyrea could not believe how much trouble one little boy could get himself into. For someone exceedingly smart, well past his years, on any given day Teelan would be most likely found approaching a gigantic Telethia that had decided to make a feast out of the ether crystals in the rainforest. Tyrea had to often save him from the clutches of a crazed Telethia, which was usually followed by a harsh scolding.

Admittedly, she had become attached to the boy. She started helping him out on his research, and the two spent a couple of weeks in Makna Forest, gathering data from the Telethia in the area. Tyrea thought that perhaps, if the world would not allow her to die, she could live a quiet life, trying to make up for her mistakes in the only way she could, through Teelan.

And then the Bionis collapsed. Just her luck.

Tyrea had awoken, thankfully, with Teelan by her side- who knows what she would’ve done without him. The world they found themselves in was quite strange. The heightened ether in the air weighed Tyrea and Teelan down considerably, and the landscape of the crumbed Bionis was far different than what it once was. By far the strangest thing, however, was the Telethia they stumbled upon, though few and far between,  none of them were hostile. If once, their crazed attacks and formations seemed like they were an army being given orders, the Telethia seemed like they were without their commander, wandering the remains of the Bionis with no direction. 

Tyrea could save the irony for another time. Teelan and her agreed that if Telethia truly had calmed down, there could be no better place to go than Alcamoth, their home. There was somewhere that both Tyrea and Teelan needed to be. For Teelan, it was his chance to finally poke around the Ministry of Research’s findings, and see if there was a jumping-off point to further his research. For Tyrea, however, she merely wished to return home. Perhaps, she figured, that there would be High Entia there, more suited to taking care of Teelan. It would be there where she… would leave the last of her research with the boy. There was no longer any urgency to their mission, after all. The Telethia were at no risk of harming any more people.

They had trudged through the treacherous remains of the Bionis for multiple months now, and the pair had most recently found themselves in this great swamp. After running away from the biggest nebulae either of them had ever seen and spending nights and days in torrential downpour, Tyrea had finally thought, when the rain began to clear up, that her luck was finally,  _ finally _ turning.

“Oi, assassin girl at 12 o’ clock!”

Tyrea was tired.

* * *

Teelan was all too happy to see Melia and the others again. That was okay! Tyrea was happy to see the boy smile again after many months of taxing physical and mental labor. However…

“What are we gonna do with ‘er? We can’t have her running around with us in Alcamoth.” The big one- Tyrea hadn’t picked up his name, yet she was sure it had to do something about the weather- was speaking.

“I’m not your prisoner.” she growled. “Look, I’ll be out of your hair once we get to Alcamoth.”

“Yeah? And how do we know you won’t try to kill Melia once we get there? Look at ya, all pompous acting like we’re all chums just ‘cuz we brought you on board.”

Tyrea reminded herself that she had sworn off her life as an assassin.

“I understand your concern, but I am no longer interested in taking the princess’ life. Oh, I guess it’s  _ empress _ now, isn’t it?”

Melia was silent in the corner, seemingly lost in her own thoughts. Tyrea looked for a reaction out of her that didn’t come.

“That’s enough, both of you.” The older one cut in. “It’s not in our position to bicker with her about her intentions. She’s Melia’s sister. The two are mature enough to settle things on their own.”

“Yeah, whatever.” The auburn cast a look to the side. “I’m gonna get back to piloting.” 

The lower deck slowly emptied out. It seemed that nobody wanted to share the room with a former assassin. That was fair, Tyrea thought. She didn’t want to spend time with them, either.

“What happened to you after we… after Yumea passed in Makna Forest?” The blond one’s eyes were narrowed on Tyrea, deep in thought. The sword she remembered he lugged around was in his lap, though it seemed as if he was just fixing it.

“Why do you want to know?” 

“Because you weren’t supposed to  _ be _ on the Bionis anymore.” Shulk? Ah, yes, Tyrea remembered. Shulk put down the scarlet weapon he held. His eyes were dead cold.

“What do you mean?”

“Maxis, Gael’gar- they were all in Alcamoth. Maybe they weren’t in danger when the Bionis crumbled. But you weren’t, right? So how did you do it? How did you not make it to New Colony 9?”

His voice was shaky, his eyes looked restless. The blond exhaled sharply and put his hands to his forehead as he continued to explain.

“Alvis couldn’t have missed anyone by accident. Which  _ has _ to mean you’re here on purpose.”

“Alvis? The Imperial Seer?”  _ What does this boy keep going on about? _

“Listen, Tyrea. I don’t trust you just because you’ve shown up here with Teelan. And I’m not about to let you and Melia be alone once we’re in Alcamoth.” 

_ Ah,  _ Tyrea thought.  _ Finally back to a language I speak. _

“But Alvis must have put you on our path for a reason. So I’m fine with you being on board.” The boy picked up the blade and once again began to work on it, breaking eye contact.

Tyrea said nothing, merely watching the boy tinker with his sword. Despite the clear boundary he had put up between her and the rest of them, she felt like Shulk was willing to trust her, given a little more time. There was something about that dead stare from earlier that told Tyrea that there was something much more worrying to him than a former assassin suddenly showing up on his doorstep.

“That… thing. The cover in the circle.” She had spoken without realizing. “What is that?”

Shulk looked at her, and then back at the Monado REX. “This?” He brushed his finger on the metal sheet covering the hole that had once displayed what power the original Monado was using. “It’s… It’s a limiter.”

“A limiter?” 

“This weapon is a replica. The Monado, I’m sure you’re familiar?”

Tyrea nodded.

“The Monado had these special… powers. They were great, but they were dangerous, unstable. Their power came from a god, after all. The Monado was a tool in which Zanza- the Bionis, forced it’s will into a vessel.” Shulk looked back up at Tyrea. “This limiter is in place such that no one can use those powers ever again.”

Tyrea looked out the window. “But the Bionis is just a pile of rubble now. If this sword is capable of using those powers without the god, why are you limiting it? There’s no risk involved.”

“Because,” Shulk looked up at the ceiling. “I don’t know if the god is truly dead.”

Tyrea crossed her arms. “You  _ really  _ think this pile of rocks all around us is still alive? You can’t possibly believe th-”

“I don’t know! I don’t know what I can trust anymore.” Shulk’s voice was shaking even more, to Tyrea’s alarm. “I thought that Alvis had brought everyone to safety but you’re living proof that that wasn’t true! I thought the Bionis was dead but…” 

Small drops of tears fell on the scarlet blade in his lap. “But I keep having these dreams, or these visions, or these... I just can’t let anyone else get hurt, Tyrea. Not again, not because of me.” 

The boy looked back at the High Entia girl with a shaky smile. “I wish I could escape the past, Tyrea.”

Tyrea sighed deeply. “That makes two of us. Here, hand over that sword, and go get some rest. I know my way around a weapon- I’ll fix it for you.”

* * *

The party had a stopover a little ways down the river to gather supplies for the last leg of the journey. It would only be a day or two, they reasoned, until they reached Alcamoth.

For Tyrea, it was an excuse to learn everyone’s names. Around camp, Shulk (who apologized profusely for the outburst after waking up) ended up having to introduce everyone for her. He still kept her at arm’s length, but he at least attempted to be polite. It was the least he could do after she fixed his fancy god-slaying replica sword.

Teelan was swapping stories with Sharla, the party medic. It seemed she was highly versed in the vitals of High Entia, something Teelan had been lacking in. Every so often, the medic threw cursory glances at Melia, who had yet to speak to Tyrea ever since she had gotten on board. Shulk had mentioned she had exerted all her energy in the days prior, and had been needing much rest. 

The big one, Reyn, had two arms around Shulk and Fiora, childhood friends, as they laughed around the campfire. Tyrea couldn’t help but laugh at the bumbling fools. They looked like a real family.

“Are you going to sit down?”

And there was Dunban, the self-proclaimed leader of the group. Other than Shulk, Dunban was the most receptive to Tyrea’s presence. Not that it mattered to her, however. 

“Sorry.” Tyrea sat down next to Dunban, legs crossed. “I’m just not used to being around… these… people.” 

“I’d imagine.” Dunban didn’t turn to look at her. The two let the silence hang in the air.   


“Okay, I’ll bite.” Tyrea started. “Why do  _ you _ trust me? Shulk’s a little too trusting, like any other heroic fool. At least I can understand the type of person he is. But you’re supposed to be the leader of this bunch of idiots. Shulk told me you’ve seen your fair share of betrayals in your life. So why take a chance on one more?”

“Have you considered that I’ve already sized you up by the time you got on our ship?” 

Tyrea scowled. “Don’t talk to me like I’m some petty thief.” 

“I never said that. But it’s clear you’ve changed since the last time we’ve met, since your mother died.” Dunban gestured towards Sharla and Teelan. “You’ve found something else to live for.”

“If you really wanted to, Tyrea, you could take Melia far away from here and dispose of her and no one would be the wiser. I don’t doubt that. But you’ve given us your word, and you High Entia don’t seem the type to go back on your word.” 

Tyrea laughed. “You’re just as foolish as Shulk is, then.” 

Dunban shrugged. “That boy is smarter than you take him for. Shulk knows how to see the best in people.”

_ The best in people, huh?  _

Tyrea could do nothing but stare into the campfire.

* * *

Early the next morning, Tyrea was woken up by Melia.

“I wish to speak with you in private.” 

“The empress speaks. It’s about damn time.” 

The two walked for a little ways down the river, just out of range for anyone back in the camp to overhear. After a while, Melia turned to face her half-sister. 

“Tyrea, it’s been a long time since we’ve last seen each other. But I can already tell you’ve changed, so, so much.” She stepped closer to her sister. 

Tyrea flinched. 

“I’m happy to see you help Teelan. I’ve always thought that you're incredibly driven based on what you believe is right. Teelan told me about what happened after… after Yumea’s passing. He said he found you in Makna Falls, unsure of where to go. But you found a place for yourself, all on your own. You could do nothing but keep moving forward. I admire that deeply, Tyrea. Truth be told, I’ve been struggling with the same.” 

Melia turned to face the river, listening to it ebb and flow against the sandy shores before she spoke again. “Ever since we started living in the colony, I’ve been unsure of what to do myself. Our forefathers deemed me the ruler of the High Entia, the successor to the throne. But we’ve lost our capital, and there’s no longer a throne to succeed. I’m an empress for a city of none.” 

Tyrea was silent. She had no doubt that the trials that Melia had faced in the time they spent apart were no different, even more emotionally taxing than the months with Teelan. But she couldn’t bring herself to say anything. 

“Tyrea, I know this is a lot to ask of you. But I want you to assist me to rebuild Alcamoth. It’s a burden I’m not willing to shoulder alone, and I thought that maybe...” Melia’s voice faded. “Maybe you still hate me. But if we recover the future of our people, we could be… family again. If it’s too much to ask as your sister, then I ask merely as your empress. Please, stand at my side.” 

“You ask that of me? Do you really think I’ve changed? Why is everyone so willing to trust me now?!” Tyrea stomped forward and jerked a finger at Melia’s chest. “I’m no different than I was before,  _ empress. _ I’m not deserving of your respect nor your pity. I’m not taking shit from you, or anyone else for that matter. I’m still just a worthless, violent assassin.” 

“If you really are still the same assassin as you were then, then strike me down.” Melia’s voice was loud and strong. She kneeled in front of Tyrea, head bowed. 

“What are you doing? Get up.” 

Melia did not move. 

Tyrea turned on her heel. “It’s unbecoming of an empress to bow to her subjects.” 

“It’s not about etiquette. It’s about doing what’s best for our people, Tyrea. Fortune can smile on us again, Tyrea. But I need your help.” 

“Stand up, Melia.” 

Melia raised her head. 

“I can’t stand at your side. Not now.” Tyrea crossed her arms with her eyes closed.

“...I-I see.” Melia drew a deep breath, and slowly stood to face her sister.

“Do not misapprehend me, Melia. I’m still directionless. I’ve found a temporary distraction, handed to me by the winds of fate.”

“But-” 

“I’ve not changed at all. Ever since I was born, I’ve just been tossed around by the fates, taking every opportunity that was given on a silver platter. Now is no different. I refuse to take the way that the fates have given me. Not this time.” Tyrea turned to face her sister, her eyes narrowed with determination.

“When I have found what  _ I  _ desire, when I truly say that what I’m doing is the path I was meant to walk on. I will have a proper answer for you. But I cannot stand with you today. I do not deserve that right.” 

She walked away towards the camp, leaving Melia alone with her thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading. i tried a little different writing style for this chapter, and i was happy with how it turned out. if you have any feedback, feel free to leave a comment.


	7. Cursed Bloodlines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reyn has his doubts about Tyrea. Gael'gar cleans up unfinished business.

“Dadapon!” 

“Kino! Nene!” 

The three nopon reunited in a big ball of hugs. “Riki be worried sick about you two! Ooh… never run off without daddypon again! Heropon Riki always protect littlepon!” 

“I-I’m sorry dadapon…” Kino sobbed sweetly. “I never mean to be worrying you…” 

“Yeah! Kino just try to be brave Heropon, just like you, Daddypon!” Nene held her little brother tight in a warm embrace. 

“You two already brave! Children of Heropon even more braverer than Heropon himself!” 

“R-really?” Kino sniffled. Riki only nodded. “Riki know everything! Of course Riki tell truth!”

Maxis and Gael’gar watched from aboard the Havres Maxis arrived in, as they considered their next move. It had been one full day since Maxis and Gael’gar had met up at Eryth Sea, and the mystery of their companions fates hung over the air. Maxis, ever the leader, trusted that Shulk and the others would meet them soon enough, the only question was _when_ and not _if._ Gael’gar, on the other hand couldn’t seem to wait any longer.

“Hey, Maxis. That Fog King’s been awfully quiet.” Gael’gar pointed at Alcamoth. “City looks almost empty, actually. I say we do a little reconnaissance while we wait for the others.”

It was no exaggeration; Alcamoth had been stunningly silent ever since the group had arrived. The glass window that covered the city gave the two a view of the once-beautiful plaza that had fallen under a spell of darkness. The Fog King was nowhere to be seen inside, but their view was not absolute. 

“No.” Maxis waved the thought away. “It’s too dangerous. If we get ambushed within city walls, we’re done for.” 

“C'mon, Maxis. There's no way they can stop us. Two High Entia soldiers like us? We're meant to be fearless in the face of danger. We lost last time, but this time the enemy's not expecting us. We can save some survivors if we act quickly.”

Maxis shook his head. “We aren’t going. Our best chance for any survivors is to wait until we have strength in numbers. If they’re strong enough to have waited this long, they can wait a few days more.” 

Gael'gar grabbed Maxis' arm. "Maxis, this is our chance to return to our ancestral home. Come on, old man- the nopon can wait for the others." The white-haired High Entia made one last plea.

The other High Entia merely shook his head in response. "I do not wish to throw my life away for your insane antics, boy."

Gael'gar's eyes fell for a split second. As he composed himself, all he could do is nod in understanding. "I understand. Then I'll go by myself." 

“Are you mad? You’re going to get yourself killed in there!”

But the High Entia had already made up his mind, not turning back to face Maxis and the nopon as he stepped through the first transporter, unsheathing his sword.

“Damn fool.” Maxis muttered as Gael’gar vanished from sight.

* * *

Gael’gar stood at the entrance to the High Entia tomb, though it felt different than how he had imagined it to be. He had thought it would have been more decorated, perhaps a little more grand. Instead, the entire tomb felt as if it was in mourning, reminiscing the sorry state of the near-ruined city that lay above it. He strolled down the entrance hallway, stopping in front of a dimly lit room with a pedestal at the center of it. 

As he placed his hand on the verification device, the door in front of him spoke. 

“Zero cycles since last visitor. State your name and purpose.” 

Gael’gar looked up. The voice was emitted by a blue jewel placed in the center of the door. He made direct eye contact with it as he spoke.

“My name is Gael’gar, descendant of Emperor Lumian, 47th ruler of the High Entia. I’ve come to be granted legitimacy to the throne by the ancestral spirits.” 

“...Permission granted. Commencing analysis of genetic data.” 

Gael’gar waited as a green light projection enveloped him, tracing his body from top to bottom. The door in front of him faded away, and Gael’gar grinned to himself. 

_Thanks, old man. Looks this cursed blood’s good for something after all._

He stepped through the door, his footsteps echoing against pearly white walls. 

* * *

It was still barely sunrise when Reyn watched Tyrea return to camp alone. She threw a brief glance at the gunlance strapped to his back as he came up in front of her. 

“Hey, you. Where’s Melia?” 

Tyrea turned to whence she came, the misty shores obscuring Melia from view. She dismissed him with a general wave in that direction as she walked past the boy. “She’ll be back soon.”

Reyn grabbed her arm. “Oi. Wait here until she comes back.” 

“ _Don’t_ touch me.” She snapped her arm back from his clutches, her steely gaze matching his. She nodded towards the weaponry on his back. “What’s with the warm welcome?” 

“Don’t give me that. You ain’t give a single reason why I should trust you, and I’m not about to start now with you and Melia disappearin’ and all.” 

“Is it so hard to believe she just wanted to speak to me?” Tyrea shot back, smugly. “Or will you not believe anything that doesn’t come out of that oaf head of yours?” 

“ _Watch_ it, Tyrea. We don’t need you conscious for our trip to Alcamoth, and ya ain’t so tough without your gauntlets.” 

“I can take you with both hands tied behind my back, you lowly Homs.” 

The insult Reyn was about to throw at her was cut short by a low whistle of the wind, as the fog surrounding them thickened. Reyn could barely make out the sleeping figures of everyone at camp behind him. 

Tyrea felt a chill run down her spine. “Dammit, empress. I leave you alone for _two_ seconds…” 

“What? What is it?” Reyn said, unhinging his gunlance from it’s sheath. “Is Melia okay?!” 

“...I’m not sure. But it feels like there could be a ether-based presence in the area.” 

Reyn rushed off in the direction Tyrea came from. “ _Wait_ , you stupid-” The auburn vanished out of sight. Tyrea sighed, looking back at everyone back in camp. _They confiscated my weapons, but I’m sure they won’t mind if I just borrow one of theirs._

Her eyes landed on the Monado REX, freshly fixed- though she was unsure how useful it would be if it Shulk insisted on putting that limiter on it. She tiptoed through the camp and picked up the medic’s weapon, a rifle. It wasn’t too heavy, and it fit her hand as well as a gauntlet did. “Oh bother.” Tyrea whispered to no one in particular. “Better than nothing.” She swung the rifle into her two hands as she jogged into the mist after Reyn.

Reyn ran fast into the mist, feeling the cool air completely surround his body. “Melia? You there?” He stopped dead in his tracks, watching closely for a silhouette to reveal itself. Out of nowhere, an ether blast hit him square in the stomach, sending him back a few feet. “Hey! What the ‘ell?!”

The ether blast had cleared a tunnel through the mist, revealing a large four-legged beast that stood in his path. It turned to Reyn as he grunted back into a battle stance, pouncing onto the boy, who raised his shield just in time to protect himself from the Feris’ mad claws. 

He heard a whooshing noise come from the same direction as the last ether blast, so he shoved the Feris off the gunlance and straight into another ether blast, crippling the Feris. “Stay down!” He burst through the mist, trying to find whatever or _who_ ever fired those ether blasts at him. 

_Footsteps to the left._ He waved his gunlance through the mist, trying to dispel any air that got in his way. The footsteps slowly got closer, until-

“Ugh! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” She reloaded the rifle, her eyes darting to the left and right of her. 

“T-Tyrea?! What are you doing out here? Is that Sharla’s rifle?!” 

“You needed help, didn’t you? And there’s no one else awake to handle this thing.” 

“Have you at least got any useful info for me while you decided to rush in head-on into this stupid fog?”

“Don’t talk to me like that. And for your information, yes.” Tyrea’s eyes narrowed as she fired an electrically charged bullet straight forward, revealing a Feris a few feet ahead of them. “We’re surrounded. There’s a pack of Feris around here, and I think I sense another gigantic ether-based presence has joined the fray too. Ow!” She withdrew her hand as the gun steamed with overheat. “What is it with this weapon?!” 

“Quick, cool it off!” Reyn said. “There should be a lever there on the side…” An idea suddenly clicked in his head. “Hey, can you move those wings of yours?” 

“Wh- of course I can! They’re not just some decorations.” 

“Great. I need you to blow some air right in front of us.” Reyn pointed straight ahead towards the mist where they last saw that Feris. “If we can generate some hot air, we can get rid of some mist, right?” 

Tyrea nodded in realization. “If we’re gonna do this, let’s do it now.”

Tyrea flapped her wings as the hot air began to rise from the rifle. Reyn had let his gunlance tip grow hot with heat, and swung it in front of Tyrea’s wings. 

The gust cut a giant hole through the mist, as three Feris jumped out from the mist, attacking the duo. Reyn ran in front of Tyrea, shielding her from the first pounce. “I can handle it! Back me up, alright?” 

Tyrea grinned as she raised Sharla’s rifle once more. “With pleasure.” 

* * *

“Is that all you got?!” Gael’gar laughed as he cut down another High Entian defense machine. “I could fight these with my eyes closed!” 

The bridge to the next chamber illuminated with light as he stepped deeper into the tomb, his boots clanking against the metal floor as he stepped into the next chamber’s doorway. 

The door vanished to reveal a singular monster in the next chamber, yet it was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It looked to be a normal Phoenix Telethia at first, walking around on two legs, but Gael’gar noticed in it’s bulky chest held the same type of High Entian machine he had just spent the last 5 minutes fighting off. Whatever High Entia had transformed into Telethia had turned while they were operating this defense machine. It was-

“Disgusting.” Gael’gar muttered to himself, strutting closer to the arena in the center of the room.. “This is the ‘perfect’ state of a High Entia? This is was worth the bloodshed? Don’t make me laugh.” 

The machine in the Telethia’s core turned to him and beeped, getting the Telethia’s attention. Gael’gar’s headpiece hummed softly as the Telethia rushed at him, it’s antennae glowing white at the ends. The Phoenix Telethia threw a right hook, which Gael’gar ducked under, jabbing his sword at the Telethia’s machine core. It staggered back, and Gael’gar ran forward and kicked it in the stomach, sending it crumpling across the platform. 

“What’s wrong? Can’t read my mind?” Gael’gar grinned wickedly. “You big, bad Telethia aren’t worth much without your Soul Read, huh?” 

He allowed the Phoenix Telethia to growl at him as it stood up, bearing it’s sharp claws with clear purpose. “Let’s dance!” He called. 

* * *

Tyrea shot the last round into the Feris as its legs wobbled, falling to the ground. 

Reyn breathed deeply, his gunlance falling to the wayside. “That the last of ‘em?” 

Tyrea nodded. “It seems like whatever _was_ here is gone, too.” 

The mist cleared. Reyn was the first one to notice her- Melia had once again collapsed on the floor. He rushed over, placing the gunlance back on his back. “Melia! Are you okay?!” 

“Oh, sure. _Thanks a lot for helping, Tyrea!_ ” She spoke mockingly under her breath. “Oh, whatever.” She stepped towards the two. 

Melia’s eyes opened softly. “Ah, Reyn, Tyrea… What happened?” 

“I dunno. Some fog came in while you were still out here, and Tyrea and I came to find you. Looks like you passed out in the fog, though. Can you stand?”

Melia sat up weakly, but her legs refused her demands. She fell back into Reyn’s arms. “Don’t worry! I got you.” He lifted her up into his arms and the three began to walk back upstream, Tyrea trailing silently behind.

“What were you and Tyrea doing out here so early, anyway? I was worried that something happened to you.” Reyn asked, glancing back at the girl behind them.

“Nothing…” Melia’s voice was barely over a whisper. “I had just wished to speak to her about something.” 

Tyrea shot a look that said _I-told-you-so-you-big-oaf._

Reyn sighed, turning back to the empress in his arms. “I see. Did you get what you were looking for, at least?” 

Melia didn’t meet Reyn’s eyes. “I don’t think I did, no.” 

* * *

The three made it back to camp before anyone awoke. (Tyrea had awkwardly returned Sharla’s rifle to its rightful place next to the sleeping medic.)

Once everyone was finally awake, they started their final trek down the river on the Havres. Tyrea stood at the top, looking at the beautiful remains of the Bionis while Reyn steered. After a while, he broke the ice.

“Oi. Thanks for helping me back there.” Reyn didn’t even turn around to look at her. 

“Oh? Could you say that again? Didn’t quite catch it the first time.”

The auburn gave in. “I know you get it! Thanks for helping me save Melia back there.”

Tyrea nodded sarcastically, raising her hand as if inviting Reyn to speak louder. “Oh yeah, keep the praise coming. I got all day.”

Reyn sighed deeply and continued. “Seriously, though. I talked to Melia. I’m sorry I gave you such a hard time of it.”

“It is of no consequence.” Tyrea seemed to be shocked by Reyn’s genuineness. She traced circles on her wrist with her thumb.

“The girl’s just had enough trouble in her life, y’know?” Reyn scratched the back of his head. “And I just don’t want her to go through the pain of losing her father, her brother, and her people again. Any one of those is enough for one lifetime.”

“...I understand. I didn’t realize you cared so much for Melia. You’ve been through a lot together.”

“That ain’t got nothin’ to do with it.” Reyn shook his head. “I didn’t have to be there with her through the pain to feel sorry for her. I just know what it’s like to lose the ones closest to you. Nobody deserves that.”

The two fell into a hushed silence.

“You know she’s trying to connect with you, right?”

“Of course,” Tyrea spat. “I’m not daft.”

“She told me you pushed her away.” 

“We aren’t ready for that yet.”

“Alright, alright.” Reyn raised his hands in mock surrender. “I won’t push you, but I’m just saying--”

The Havres swerved to the left. Tyrea slammed her hand on the side of the ship. “ _Steer first_ , you jerk!”

“I’m sorry!”

* * *

Gael’gar stood at the end of the High Entia tomb, in a room almost identical to the first chamber. He noticed a similar blue jewel standing high above the room, one that he assumed was going to speak to him. He strolled to the center of the room, pointing at the High Entia’s ancestor.

“So, how’d I do?” 

The room was silent. At last, the blue gem began to speak. 

“You have done well, my descendant.” 

Gael’gar crossed his arms. “So you’re the guy in charge? You’ve got a pretty bad defense system out there, you know.”

“It matters not. You have cleared the trials that I have placed before you.”

Gael’gar pointed his sword up at his ancestor. “Let’s get to the good part, gramps. What do you say about my legitimacy to the throne?”

“It is unmistakable. Results of gene analysis show Homs gene integration of over 100%.”

“Our wishes have finally been fulfilled.”

“Your claim to the throne is certainly legitimate, however…”

Gael’gar frowned. “What is it?” 

“I do not bear feelings, but I do have memories. There was another… Melia Antiqua.”

“I had decreed her to be the next ruler of the High Entia- and our last.”

Gael’gar threw his sword at the jewel with perfect aim, shattering it on contact. The mechanism sputtered as the jewel split into pieces on the floor, the sword falling with a loud clatter. The wall in front of him disappeared, revealing one last hallway to Gael’gar.

“That’s all I needed to hear. Thanks, old man.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the introduction of some original lore, because it ain't xenoblade without some fresh new lore. 
> 
> i hope that this wasn't too big of a leap into new stuff, because if so i am so sorry for... the rest of the fic. the bionis shoulder will be a lot more involved in the xenoblade world than it was in future connected. if that's not your thing, i understand! thank you so much for reading regardless, and i hope you have a good day.


	8. Gateway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gael'gar infiltrates Alcamoth.

The Telethia Laboratory, much like the city it slumbered beneath, had been vacant for a long time. The collapse of the Bionis had not treated it well; pods that Gael’gar assumed held research papers dating hundreds if not thousands of years of High Entia research had toppled over the floor in a sea of information. Gael’gar made a note of it as he passed, but the most interesting treasure lay at the center of the room: a large two-pronged spear that had fallen out of a glass container. 

Gael’gar couldn’t even lift it with his two hands. He recognized the anti-Bionis weapons, but he had not gotten the chance to observe them up close.  _ The green glow is gone… _ He traced his fingers on the two prongs of the spear.  _ What happened to that poison…? Had it dried up after the Bionis collapsed? _

Atop the large pods that surrounded the glass room, Gael’gar noticed a research note on what had once been stored inside. 

_ “Experiment 011: Utilizing Mechonis poison to isolate Telethia strand from Homs genes. _

_ Battle against the Mechonis grows closer, yet the breakthrough I need still eludes me. These disgusting half-breeds brought from the Shoulder are practically useless- Homs integration has progressed farther along than it has in the capital, so the Telethia gene has been completely overwritten. _

_ “Before the emperor marches us all off to fight at Sword Valley, I have these last test subjects, three half-breeds that I have injected with my final experiment- a serum that could recreate the Telethia gene in full. Perhaps they’ll be a useful infiltration tool to handle a particularly stubborn colony.  _

_ ~L” _

The pods were empty.

Gael’gar stuffed the note in his pocket and proceeded to the console at the back wall of the central chamber. “Finally! Something in this dump I can actually use.” 

A quick few taps on the holographic screen that appeared caused a walkway to reveal itself, illuminating a transporter device at the opposite end of the laboratory. 

“I’ll be back for you later.” he wagged a finger at the spear on the ground. “We’ve all the time in the world for research back home.” 

Gael’gar stepped through the transporter, feeling his body disappear as he was taken into Alcamoth. 

* * *

Alcamoth was even more deserted than it looked from the outside. Nature had began to reclaim the capital, and it made for quite the beautiful sight. Through broken windows, sun seeped through and illuminated patches of flowers and moss-covered fountains, and a few small animals scuttled through what had once been public streets. 

But Gael’gar was still on edge. The Fog King was still nowhere to be seen, and as Gael’gar moved around the city carefully and deliberately, the question began to creep in his mind. 

_ Where did you go…? _

Gael’gar reached the city’s escalators and found a slew of corpses on them, piled up by the foot of the slope. Gael’gar could only assume the worst as he bent down to assess their corpses- ether damage, as he suspected. Not  _ quite _ Telethia scars, but Gael’gar guessed they were the work of the alarmingly-absent Fog King. Wordlessly, he slowly hopped over them and began making his way towards the central palace, his footsteps blending in with the ambient sounds of the overgrowth.

The palace was, to Gael’gar’s surprise, largely intact. The central hall was barely illuminated by the light seeping in through the glass dome surrounding the city. He traced the right palace wall, not to attract any unwanted attention from whatever might be lurking in the dark, until he reached the end of the transporter hallway. 

Once more, he stepped through a transporter, finding himself in a place that he was a little more familiar with. 

In Gael’gar’s time working in Alcamoth’s Ministry of Research, he had learned a lot about Alcamoth. He was often ordered to do manual checkups on different places in the entire city, and by far the most interesting out of all of them was the security room, where High Entia workers would keep maintenance on every district of the city. Gael’gar would find himself making friends in the security room and coming between work-hours to watch all the cameras, which showed beautiful views of near anything Gael’gar could remember. If there was anywhere that he could find a visual of the Fog King, it would be in the security room. 

* * *

Melia could feel… something. 

It wasn’t a nebulae, she had had quite enough of them over the past few days. But it  _ was  _ something much larger, much more powerful. As Tyrea and Reyn announced that they were certain they could see Alcamoth in the distance, Melia’s blood ran cold.

Fiora got up to yawn, noticing Melia’s solemn expression. “What’s wrong, Melia? Don’t you want to see?” 

“I- yes, of course. Please, just give me a moment.” Melia pressed a hand to her forehead. “I must still be feeling a little lightheaded.” 

“Maybe you should rest, Melia.” Dunban nodded at Fiora, and Fiora disappeared to the top deck. “You’ve had a rough week. We’ll let you know when we get there, alright?” 

Melia moved to stand, but her legs betrayed her as she fell back onto her seat, aching with pain. She sighed deeply. “Fine.” 

Sharla and Shulk eyed her worriedly as Teelan slumbered peacefully in Shulk’s lap. 

Dunban, Fiora, Reyn, and Tyrea met on the top deck, watching the distant city come into view in all of its glory. It towered over what was once Eryth Sea, and Fiora and Reyn could only gasp as it drew ever closer. 

“That’s a sight I’ll never get used to,” Reyn put his hands on his hips. “Those High Entia are some architects, huh? We’re not even  _ close  _ to building something like that back in the colony.”

“Some High Entia told me that they built Alcamoth with Hover Stone, but there’s none to be found back in the colony area.” Dunban rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I wonder if there’s still some in Eryth Sea?” 

Tyrea pointed in the distance, to the islands that populated Eryth Sea. “Hover Stones are what keeps those floating islands suspended in the air. A long time ago, it was just one floating plain, but the High Entia wanted to use the Hover Stones for something more… grand.” Tyrea scoffed to herself. “ _ Grand _ is right, I suppose. Not too sure about practical, though.” 

“What do you mean?” Fiora asked.

“Metal forged using Hover Stone is never as powerful as the real stuff. Sooner or later, you’re going to need to get some replacements, and Alcamoth’s been doing that for a few hundred years now.” Tyrea traced some circles in the air. “There’s these little… metal rings, I suppose, that we embed to the underside of the city to keep it floating.”

Fiora clapped her hands excitedly. “Ooh, that’s so cool! Maybe we should bring some Hover Stone back to the colony once we get back! I bet High Entia and Machina engineers could do something really amazing with them.” 

Reyn scratched his head worriedly. “Alright, but I like living on the ground. Can we not build giant floating cities? Once is enough for a lifetime.” 

“Oh, you don’t have to be so  _ boring,  _ Reyn…” 

* * *

It was unlike anything Gael’gar had seen before. It was a hole in the fabric of reality, with infinitely coursing waves of darkness overlapping one another as it drew Gael’gar closer. To his own horror, it was pulsing as if alive, as if communicating to him. 

Gael’gar shook his head as he brought himself back to his senses, trying to look around the security room to find the cameras. Whatever that…  _ thing _ was, could come later. He methodically made his way over to the other end of the room, acting to not alert the anomaly in the middle of the room. 

“Alright, finally.” He whispered excitedly as he drew close to the camera displays and began tapping at the control panel. “Let’s see where you’ve holed yourself up, Fog King.” 

As he glanced at different areas inside the city walls- the two residential areas, the shopping district, the gardens, he found something more worrying than the beast he had been searching for- the same deep black tears in space, all ominously suspended in air, like bubbles ready to burst at any moment. The capital that had felt abandoned suddenly felt claustrophobic; the white-haired High Entia watched in horror as another rift tore itself into existence in the palace hall he had just sneaked his way through. 

Yet he barely had time to comprehend the threat as the display switched to the last camera, one in… well, Gael’gar didn’t know what exactly  _ was _ the place he was viewing. The dome had only one building, surrounded by a lovely flower garden. It would be peaceful, beautiful even if there wasn’t a beast in the center of it, buried under layers upon layers of darkness, not unlike the hole that floated behind Gael’gar. The High Entia could make out a head of some sort, accented by fiery orange eyes. 

With one quick movement, the Fog King slammed a foot into the ground as the fog around it swirled, leaving the once beautiful flowerbed a sad, decayed display. In its wake, the Fog King left a final gift, a rift like the ones Gael’gar had seen populating the city. Gael’gar looked down at the control panel in front of him, panicked.  _ One of these has to be the controls to that dome…  _

The only button that stood out to him was a button covered in a glass cover, labeled “CAPITAL LOCKDOWN”. It definitely wasn’t what he was looking for, but it did sound enticing… other than that, however, there was nothing to be found. 

On the monitor, the Fog King began to move towards the exit to the dome. Gael’gar’s eyes darted the control board once more to find a way to stop the Fog King in its tracks, but found nothing. Sighing, Gael’gar slammed his sword through the glass cover he had once seen, activating the city’s lockdown function.  _ This better be worth it, you stupid machine. _

In an instant, the security room shook, and the entrance to the room was closed off by a wall that manifested itself in the opening, not unlike the ones in the High Entia tomb. Gael’gar whipped his head back towards the screen to see the Fog King’s exit being shut by another door, trapping it inside the garden. The cameras did not relay audio, but the beast seemed to scream in anger as it pounded it’s limbs against the door to no avail. Gael’gar breathed a sigh of relief as the room around him shook wildly, coming to a complete stop a few seconds later. 

Gael’gar straightened himself, picking his blade out of the button that had trapped the Fog King. His options were limited, with the exit blocking itself off- and unlike the High Entia tomb, there was no way to deactivate it that he could see (without also freeing the Fog King, at least.)

_ Ugh, I  _ hate  _ waiting for other people to finish my work. _

He peered out the window of the security room to a long fall to Eryth Sea. He reasoned the window was just enough for him to fit through when broken, and walked up to it slowly, with his blade clamped tightly in one hand. 

_ But perhaps I don’t have to. _

* * *

Tyrea leaned against the back of the Havres as Reyn fumbled with the controls, the rest of the crew downstairs in preparation for docking. The capital continued to grow in the distance as the ship continued to travel through the river inlet. And, worst of all, for some godsforsaken reason, Tyrea had a splitting headache. She cast a wayside look at the water below them as she groaned in pain.

“Alright, what is it?” Reyn sighed, not turning to face her. “D’ya want to drive or something? You’ve been like that for the past hour now.” 

“It’s not that, you idiot.” She scowled. “I just feel something.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask what’s up with that… sixth sense of yours. Like, how’d you know Melia was in trouble back there?”

“I have a higher ether affinity than most other High Entia.” Tyrea began. “Not quite sure why, though. I guess my mother did have some royal blood in her after all.” 

“What? You’re saying all of the royal family can do all that… magic stuff?”

“ _ Any _ High Entia with some type of ether affinity can handle themselves with a staff. The royal families has just had a history with having a high amount of ether affinity. Honestly, did that empress of yours teach you anything?”

“I never asked, I suppose.” Reyn shrugged. “All that ether stuff ain’t for me. I’m more of a hitting-stuffs guy.”

“I can tell.” Tyrea laughed softly, lifting her head up.

In the distance, Alcamoth drew ever closer. It was a little daunting- Tyrea hadn’t been there in a few years, at this point. After the High Entia had undergone their transformations, she hadn’t even gone to see the homeland she had left behind.

It certainly  _ looked _ like it had been torn apart by angry, raging, Bionis-serving monsters. The glass dome that Tyrea had stand tall and proud over Alcamoth ever since she was a child was destroyed, and she couldn’t even imagine what it looked like in the inside. Something still looked... off, at least from the exterior. There was something small, barely a dot on the horizon, that the girl spotted that she swore wasn’t there before. She blinked, rubbing her eyes, but it was still there. Tyrea frowned. 

And then the black speck opened. The thing she saw on the horizon expanded into something bigger, followed by another tear that she hadn’t spotted before, completely consuming one wing of the city in a wispy black sphere. Reyn and Tyrea watched in horror as rifts tore themselves open, covering the city in the distance with holes in what was once High Entia architecture. 

“Oi! You big oaf! Can you steer this thing any faster?!” Tyrea yelled, dashing towards the controls. 

“I-I’m trying!” He yelled, tapping at the console. “What the ‘ell’s happened to Alcamoth over there?” 

“We don’t have time for speculation.” She said, finding the right button she needed and slamming a finger down on it. “Alert the others.” 

The Havres began to rise a little out of the water as Reyn shakily ran to the lower deck to tell them the news. Tyrea kept her eyes focused on the city as the black rifts grew in size. Her headache grew bigger as the ship flew through the air at increasingly faster speeds.

“What’s happened?!” Dunban’s voice cried out as he arrived on the top deck, grabbing the rail as to not fly completely off. 

“Don’t know. Alcamoth practically looks like it’s being swallowed by something!” Reyn exclaimed. 

“Where’s Melia?” Tyrea barked at the two. “Does she know what’s happening?”

“She’s still weak, but she heard what Reyn said.” Fiora climbed up to the top deck. “I don’t know what’s happened to her, but she’s lightheaded… does it have something to do with what’s happened to Alcamoth?” 

The Havres finally broke into Eryth Sea proper as the black rifts on Alcamoth grew larger and larger. “It’s likely,” Tyrea yelled. “But we still don’t know what’s happened in the first place.” 

On the bottom deck, Melia stood weakly. Teelan, Sharla, and Shulk advised her not overexert herself, but their warnings fell on deaf ears. She made her way to the back of the lower deck, where she climbed the steps to meet the others.

The rifts that had covered Alcamoth suddenly shrunk almost as quickly as they grew, accented by a resounding loud  _ bang. _ The force of the impact sent the crew on the top of the Havres reeling, grabbing the handrails and holding with all of their might. Melia, however, could do nothing but stare as the rifts disappeared into nothingness, leaving no trace of the city that it had consumed in their wake. 

Alcamoth had vanished. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading. i have many angry thoughts to say about this chapter, but it's over, so that's all that matters to me. if you've enjoyed everything that's gone on so far, that was the prologue, and i hope you enjoy the rest of it, too. 
> 
> i'll probably do this after every 'part' so a huge thank you to [anibrivity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anibrivity/profile), my beta, who keeps me sane while i write these chapters. if you want to hear my intense ramblings about this chapter i am about to scream into the void, my twitter is [@thearcanaxii](https://twitter.com/thearcanaxii).


	9. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party sets out for their next adventure.

Tyrea was woken up by the shiftings of a loud, annoying, bird.

“Just  _ what _ do you think you’re doing here, Gael’gar?” She hissed in the pitch black night. “The others thought you died in the capital!” 

“Oh! Boy, am I glad  _ you’re  _ the one that caught me sneaking about.” The white haired High Entia rummaged through the Havres, pulling out two gauntlets and throwing them towards her. “Unfortunately, princess, I don’t have time to explain. Though if you’re willing to lend a hand, I could tell you how I survived my little expedition in the capital as we do a little escaping.”

Tyrea looked down at the gauntlets in her hands, and then back at the sleeping group behind them. Reunions with the nopon and his children had been very happy and sweet, but in the end, Melia and her friends had gone through too much in the past few days. They would probably remain fast asleep until the morning, Tyrea worked out in her head. 

And then, of course, there was Teelan. Oh, sweet sleeping Teelan. He had sacrificed everything to come to Alcamoth with Tyrea and the others, and it was all for naught. Tyrea felt her heart heave- she couldn’t leave him behind, he needed her as much as she needed him. 

“I can’t. I have to stay with them. There’s… there’s still something I have to do here.” 

“Oh? Yumea’s best assassin has gone soft? Figures. That royal blood of yours…” Tyrea cut him off by grabbing his collar, raising the High Entia into the air with a firm shake.

“I’d watch those next words out of my mouth if I were you…” 

Gael’gar only grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “Here.” He reached into his pocket and shoved a piece of paper into Tyrea’s face. She dropped him onto the floor with a low clunk and began to read it. It was one of Lorithia’s research notes, detailing one of her final experiments. 

“And what does this have to do with me? All the Telethia I’ve seen around here have been docile. There’s nobody at any risk of being attacked by these things.” 

“Come on, Tyrea, you aren’t stupid. Do you really think that Lorithia didn’t supercharge a bunch of High Entia with drugs to effectively become time-sensitive Telethia bombs? And look, where do you think these killing machines would go once they don’t have a direction anymore? Here’s a good hint, it’s in those notes.”

Tyrea took a glance back at the paper. “The Bionis Shoulder, I guess? And why would they go there? What’s to be found there?”

“Telethia were once sentient, too, you know. If they were taken from the Shoulder, I’d imagine they wish to return to Tchittre.” Gael’gar scoffed as he rolled up some of the supplies into a bag and slung it around his back. 

“Tchittre? What the hell is that?”

Gael’gar looked up at her in a knowing smirk. “Alcamoth’s sister city, that’s what. What, Yumea never took you out for a field trip? Makes sense, it’s a little out of the way for most people…”

“Wait, what do you mean  _ sister city?” _ Even after tempering her voice, she sounded like she was about to yell. “Nobody in the capital ever told me about another High Entia city.”

“We High Entia sure do love our secrets, don’t we? Shame you don’t want to come along, I could’ve shown you around. Lovely city Tchittre is, trust me- you’ll love the sights. Bunch of High Entia out there, fair warning though: they’re all like me.” Gael’gar pointed to his small wings. 

More half-Homs High Entia. For some reason, Tyrea hadn’t the first thought of hatred or scorn, but rather curiosity. Up until a year or two ago, she was blissfully unaware of her own lineage, raised as a pure-blooded replacement for the High Entia princess. After her last encounter with Yumea, she had shed any thoughts of ‘family’ and ‘heritage’. Yet, there was a question that had never left Tyrea’s mind...

Gael’gar cut off her train of thought. “Oh, but I forgot-  _ you’re _ like me, aren’t you? Figures, with the whole ‘Not-A-Telethia’ thing you got going on there.” He drew a circle in the air around her wings as he climbed off the top deck to the edge of the Havres, taking one last look at the assassin while he prepared to jump off into the sea below. 

“Listen, Tyrea. I’m going to put all my cards on the table. I saw it as soon as you opened your mouth: you’re searching for a way out. I don’t know what’s with the sudden change of heart, but I DO know that I trust you more than I trust anyone else here. And I could use someone like you when I return to the Shoulder. Are you with me, or not?”

Tyrea crumpled the paper in her hands. She turned to look back at the sleeping party, at her sister, at… at Teelan.  _ I’m sorry, you two. I have to do this. I’ll be back, I promise. _

“Fine. I’ll come along. But don’t think it’s because of  _ you. _ If there really are people on the Bionis Shoulder, then… I have my own business there.” 

“That’s good enough for me!” Gael’gar grinned from ear to ear. “Alright, get those wings ready-” He pointed at a small beach in Eryth Sea’s underbelly. “It’ll be easier to show you rather than explain, anyway.”

Gael’gar leapt off the Havres, stretching out his arms while falling and revealing a mechanical wingspan attached to his clothes. His descent slowed as he began to gracefully glide through the air towards the beach he had pointed out just moments before. 

A bewildered Tyrea was not far behind as her own wings carried her through the air. “Where on Bionis did you get something like that?!” 

“I had a little help from some Machina friends!” He yelled back. “Great at engineering, honestly-- nothing short of brilliant, those guys are. There’s plenty of ‘em in Tchittre.” 

_ Machina? The people of Mechonis? How did they find themselves on the Bionis Shoulder? _ Tyrea thought to herself as the pair flew through the night.

* * *

“She’s gone.” Reyn crossed his arms. “ _ And _ she took some of our supplies,  _ and  _ she stole her weapons back. I knew I shouldn’t have trusted her.” 

Shulk shook his head. “I’m sure she had her reasons, Reyn.” He pat the fixed sword on his back. “She’s not a bad person. At least she didn’t try to kill us again.” 

“That’s not a very high bar for being a good person, Shulk.” Fiora piped in. “Besides, we needed those supplies if we’re going to return to the Colony soon.” 

“What?! Shulk and friends leave so soon?!” Kino asked.

“Oh, Kino, you were asleep when we decided.” Fiora squeezed the little green Nopon’s cheeks. “We’re going to see what remains of Alcamoth, and then we have to return home. If something like that happens again, we don’t know what will happen to us. We should stay safe.” 

Fiora turned to Melia, who stood facing the spot where Alcamoth had once stood. Physically, Sharla said, she had been looking better, but emotionally... There was a wall put up between Melia and the world, she had reverted back to that reserved girl the party had once found in Makna Forest. She had barely registered Tyrea’s absence, but after everything that had happened, Fiora assumed it was just a way for her to keep it together. 

“All set, everyone?” Dunban waved everyone over. “We should get moving while it’s still morning.” He began to set off into the teleporter, and everyone else followed closely behind. 

* * *

The morning winds were cold, but they payed no mind as the party travelled from island to island. Reyn carried Teelan on his shoulders as the party reached the halfway point to Alcamoth, a small lighthouse that survived whatever catastrophe had transpired earlier. 

“So, you’re not… upset? About Tyrea, I meant.” Reyn lifted his hand to receive a sandwich he was sharing from Teelan as he sat atop the defence force soldier’s shoulders.

“Well, a little… but I’m not a weak little kid. I know Big Sis is gonna come back.” Teelan sighed. “It’s not the first time she’s left me alone, either.” 

Reyn raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Ugh, I can’t believe the nerve of her. You think you can finally trust her, and then she stabs ya in the back. I should have never let my guard down around her.” 

“No, no, it was nothing like that!” Teelan exclaimed. “When we were traveling up the Bionis together, she would always leave for days on end, but she would come back. She just wanted to make sure the road ahead was safe for me. Maybe…”

Teelan looked towards the distance where Alcamoth once was. “Maybe she found something, and she’s on her way back right now, right?”

Reyn sighed, and lifted up the sandwich to pass it to Teelan. “I hope you’re right, kid. I don’t think Melia can handle another heartbreak.” 

* * *

On the other end of the group, Shulk shuddered.

He had been feeling awful ever since Alcamoth had disappeared the previous day, like he had been drained of all his strength. It took every single ounce of him to not collapse on the spot, and his struggle did not go unnoticed. 

“Shulk, are you feeling alright? You look quite pale.” Sharla had tried to check up on him frequently ever since Shulk had revealed his Telethia wound to her. 

“I’m doing just fine, Sharla. I think I’m just tired- didn’t sleep a wink last night.” he yawned. “But I’m sure I’ll feel better later.” 

Sharla placed a hand on his shoulder. “Just take it easy, alright? Is your arm feeling okay?”

From the back of the party, Melia raised her head at the two in front of her. Sharla had been tending to Shulk’s arm in secret, at least as far as she could remember after waking up on the Havres. The former, however, would always cast worried glances at Melia, even when the medic thought she wasn’t looking. 

It dug into Melia’s skin, but she had no time to be upset about it. There were more pressing matters at hand, she decided, as they stepped through the final transporter to Alcamoth. 

* * *

Maxis cast a sorry glance at the ruins- or lack thereof, that stood in front of the party.

The entire city, indeed, had vanished. And Maxis couldn’t help but feel like he was partially to blame.

Of course, he knew that the real fault lied in that wretched idiot that scampered off without waiting. Gael’gar must’ve agitated the Fog King, who subsequently tore all of those massive holes in the capital, killing the poor boy in the process.

Yet he couldn’t help but feel guilty for letting him go off so recklessly. Though he hadn’t known his fellow High Entia long, there was an air of familiarity that twisted his heart. Who was that boy, really? 

Maxis shook his head and sighed. There was no point in following the line of thinking any further. He would never get to ask the boy why he felt such a terrible sense of loss. 

“Hey, Maxis.” Dunban called for him. “Is something the matter?”

“It’s Gael’gar.” 

“I see.” Dunban placed a hand under his chin. “Do you think there’s a chance he might’ve survived?”

Maxis scoffed. “Not a chance. That was quite a show the Fog King put on for us. I doubt anyone could have gotten out of a scuffle with that beast alive.”

“Yes, it was truly something.” Dunban nodded. “But I wonder where the Fog King has gone now. I don’t suppose it vanished along with those holes, do you?”

“I can’t say for certain, but if that beast can pull more stunts like that, I don’t think we stand a chance against it in our current state. Even with all the people back at the Colony, our numbers are far too small.” Maxis’ hands tightly clenched as his steady eyes refused to turn away from the space the city once stood. “It seems taking back our attempt to take back the capital would be a fruitless effort, after all. We’re lucky we didn’t die like that fool did.” 

Dunban approached the High Entia and placed a solemn hand on his shoulder. “I’d hate to admit defeat here, Maxis, but you’re right. There was nothing we could’ve done. I think the best thing we can do now is see if there’s anything left from the city and return home.” 

“Dundun?” 

The two men turned to the Heropon behind them, whose eyes were just short of brimming with tears. 

“Friends not give up here! For sake of Melly and family, friends must keep going!” Riki jumped up and down, the tears that fogged his eyes flaring into an intense determination. “Heropon will bash Fog King head in!” 

“Riki, we would love to, but we don’t know where the Fog King went after it tore up Alcamoth. If we can’t find it, how are we expected to ‘bash it’s head in’?” Dunban shook his head and shrugged. “I’m sorry Riki, but we can’t do anything more here.” 

“Oooh… that not matter! Dundun and friends must keep looking!” Riki yelled even louder. “Riki must avenge Melly home!” 

It was then a loud whirring filled the air as the party turned to look behind them. In the distance was a familiar metal ship, soaring through the sky towards them. 

“W-what is that thing?!” Nene jumped. “Size bigger than Orluga!” 

“That’s… the Junks?” Shulk squinted. “I thought it was still in repair before we left for the Bionis. In any case, who flew it all the way over here?”

Reyn shrugged beside him. “Maybe Miqol wanted to give us backup? Not that we need it anymore, anyway.” 

The party stood their ground as the ship descended onto the floating island, a familiar face stepping through the door on the deck.

“How nice to see you all in one piece.” Vanea smiled. 

“Vanea!” Fiora rushed to the front of the party to greet Vanea with her signature warm smile. “Why have you come to Eryth Sea?”

“I’m afraid it isn’t on the most comforting of terms, Fiora.” Her expression turned solemn as she gestured the party to come inside the Junks. “There’s something I need to show you all.”

* * *

The screen on the Junks glowed bright yellow as a picture was displayed on the monitor. It was Alcamoth’s central palace, unmistakably. However…

“Why is the palace back at Colony 9?!” Shulk exclaimed. 

Alcamoth’s central palace, or at least, the eastern wing of it, had seemingly crashed into the residential district in New Colony 9. It looked strikingly out of place, as if it was thrown there by some giant monster. It was torn at the edges, ripped apart from its original location inside Alcamoth. The awful feeling from yesterday gripped Shulk’s stomach once again. 

_ Why? _ His mind rushed with thoughts.  _ Why did this have to happen to the Colony? And when I was away, of all times…  _

_ Alvis, I thought you said things were going to be okay...! _

“What is this, Vanea? What are you showing us?” Dunban’s voice carried the sense of a leader’s alarm.

“It appeared yesterday, in the afternoon. A large black sphere engulfed the air around the residential district, and before anyone knew it, the palace had descended onto the Colony. Nobody knows where it came from, but we figured…” 

“We figured something happened to you lot.” Linada called from overhead. “That’s why the two of us came to see if you all were safe. Miqol, Vanea, and I spent one whole restless night trying to repair this old pile of junk to catch up with you, you know. The Junks is way more complicated than those High Entia ships you sent us to fix.” 

“Judging by the travel time, I’d say so.” Dunban nodded. “It took us nearly two weeks to get here. But where’s Miqol?”

“My father stayed behind. There needed to be at least one colony leader back at home, you know.” 

“Casualties.” Shulk blurted out. “How many died in the Residential District?”

Vanea bit her thumb. “We’re not sure just yet, Shulk. Please, stay calm. We weren’t able to reduce the initial damage, but Miqol helped to rescue any survivors that we can find. The Colony is still in disarray, and medics have set up camp in the square once more.”

Shulk’s brow furrowed, but he remained silent. Sharla placed her hand on his shoulder and asked him to take a deep breath while Dunban and Vanea kept speaking.

Dunban bowed. “I must thank your father for his quick thinking. I’m happy, at least, that casualties could be kept to a minimum.” 

“There’s something more, actually. While we were flying here, we saw something else. It’s obscured by the clouds from the Colony, but…” 

Vanea tapped a few buttons on the control pad to display another something on screen. It was another picture, another portion of Alcamoth, yet…

“What  _ is  _ that?” Fiora inquired. “That piece of land… it doesn’t look like anything back in the Colony.”

“Hold on a sec. Is that island floating?” Reyn stepped closer to the screen. 

Vanea nodded. “It seems like a portion of the Bionis remained intact after it had crumbled, and it’s where Linada and I believe the Fog King retreated to after it tore up Alcamoth.”

“What makes you so sure?” Reyn crossed his arms. “That monster could be anywhere on the Bionis, really.” 

“No, not anywhere. We think we saw it, actually. A beast made of black mist swirled in one of the domes from Alcamoth. It was quite a beautiful dome, too. I saw some trees and some flowers…”

“...What did you just say?” Melia, for the first time since they had arrived at Alcamoth, spoke. “The Fog King… is in the Imperial Villa?”

Vanea placed a finger on her cheek. “Is that what it’s called?”

Melia was silent. 

Linada cut through the tense atmosphere from above. “Well, that settles it, then. We’re going, right? We can’t leave the Fog King alone when it can still wreak havoc- we don’t know who might be on that floating pile of rocks, either.” 

The party exchanged looks with each other, and finally back at Melia, whose fiery words would shake the hearts of everyone in the room.

“That’s right. We’ll avenge Alcamoth this time. The Fog King won’t get away with destroying my home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again, hello again! i apologize profusely for the long departure. i had taken an impromptu writing break after things just kept happening to me (that admittedly were entirely in my control) 
> 
> updates will try to be more frequent than this two week long break has been, but school is starting soon which might throw a wrench in my plans.
> 
> finally, apologies if this chapter is a little rough on the edges, i did write half of it in a manic frenzy after all. thank you so much for reading, and welcome to the official part 2 of scorched feathers!


	10. Welcome To The Golden Country

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party reaches the Bionis Shoulder.

The Junks was, indeed, far faster than the Havres. In merely a few hours’ time, the party had broken the clouds and was en route to the Bionis shoulder. 

“Incredible!” Maxis looked out the top deck. “I could never have imagined something this big hiding right above Alcamoth this entire time.” 

The Bionis Shoulder, as it came into view, was certainly a beautiful sight to behold. It was a microcosm of the the titan that it had once been attached to. There was a massive green plain, reminiscent of the Bionis Leg. There were steep waterfalls, a small forest, and…

“What’s that?” Reyn pointed to the distance as the crew turned its attention to a strange view: a large stone wall had been erected around what looked to be a small city. In the inner walls was a giant structure- whether it was a building or simply a large monument was a mystery to the people on the Junks.

Sharla sat on the floor, talking with Melia, who had her knees pulled up to her chest. It had been a while since the two had last talked, but Sharla wanted to check up Melia’s health- not only physical, but mental, as well.

“I’m glad to see you feeling better. I know the past day has been rough on you, but…” Sharla’s voiced trailed off as she looked towards the rest of the party. “We’re all here for you, Melia. We’ll take down that Fog King no matter what.” 

“I’m thankful for your support, Sharla, truly. My city has been torn apart, but… I will not cry. For the sake of those who perished against the Fog King, for the refugees back in the colony, and for my father, I will put their souls to eternal rest.”

Sharla laughed. “You’ve been picking things up from Dunban, have you? Well, at least you’re motivated. Don’t forget to take care of yourself, okay?” The medic smiled sweetly. 

Melia nodded. “I will.”

“So there really are people? Still living on the remains of the Bionis?” Shulk’s brow furrowed as he looked out to the island that floated in the sky. 

“It seems like it.” Dunban rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Dickson had told me that he had once met people on the Bionis Shoulder. This could be what he was referring to.” 

“Really? Dickson told you that?” Shulk was in awe. “I wonder how long ago that could’ve been…” 

Dunban laughed. “Who knows? The man had been alive for far longer than you and I. He must’ve seen the rise and fall of civilizations we never would’ve dreamed of.” 

“I wonder how old this civilization is, then. I remember we learned in Homs history that the kingdoms of old moved lower and lower, chasing wildlife until they eventually settled down. If that’s a Homs settlement over there, then that means…” Shulk rubbed his chin.

“This could very well be hundreds of years old.” Dunban nodded. 

“Lady Vanea, if this really is the Bionis Shoulder… do you think this could be…?” Linada turned to her fellow Machina, her eyes widening with sudden realization.

“We won’t know unless we investigate.” Vanea leaned forward where she was standing as the Junks flew to land on the floating island. “Everyone, prepare for landing.”

“Wait!” Out of nowhere, Shulk cried. “Something’s--” 

The words were barely out of his mouth when something outside the ship made contact, sending the Junks and everyone inside toppling out of balance onto the wall. 

“Ow! The ‘ell was that?!” Reyn shouted, trying to push himself off the Junks’ floor. 

“Lady Vanea!” Linada called. “Can you reach the control panel?” 

Lady Vanea outstretched an arm that never reached its destination. The Junks made a resounding crash into unknown territory as everyone’s vision faded to black.

* * *

It was still dark out when Gael’gar and Tyrea arrived at a strange opening in the Bionis head. The cave was just offshore of Eryth Sea, and in it, among plenty of weapons and High Entia armor was a new Havres, it’s condition practically brand-new to the High Entia girl.

“What the hell? Did you steal all this from the capital?” Tyrea asked, her eyes pointing daggers at Gael’gar, who was climbing into the Havres already. 

“What a loaded question. No, for the record, I did  _ not  _ steal this stuff from the capital. The place just… had a few spares to lend, that’s all.” He tapped the floor of the ship next to him with his foot. “Come on, assassin girl. We don’t have all day.” 

Tyrea sighed, hopping aboard the Havres. “When did you even get the time to retrieve this big thing? Maxis said you left only a day before we arrived.” 

“When did I say I took this thing recently? C’mon, Tyrea. I thought you’d have remembered by now.” 

Tyrea blinked at him. “So when you disappeared one year ago… this is where you went? Did you plan all of this then?” 

“Not exactly. I just wanted a way to get back to the Bionis Shoulder should the need ever arise… but plans changed slightly when this whole destroying Bionis business came about.” Gael’gar activated the Havres and it’s engines roared to life with a low hum. “I didn’t even know if the Bionis Shoulder was still around, of course. But then, on my way to Alcamoth, I saw it.” 

Gael’gar pointed up to the covering of clouds above them. “A glimpse of the Shoulder. It’s floating, incredibly. Looks like all that Hover Stone was good for something.” 

“I’m still skeptical.” Tyrea crossed her arms. “You better not be lying to me, or I swear…” 

“Hey, hey!” Gael’gar raised hands to his chest. “You have my word. I wouldn’t take you all the way out here for nothing. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.” 

To say that the speed the Havres shot out of the cavern and into the basin was something that Tyrea was not prepared for would be a stark understatement. She grabbed onto the starboard railing, barely able to stand on her two feet. “Hey, you crazed… slow down a little, will you?!” 

“Those ships sustained some pretty heavy damage, I have to say. This is what a Havres is  _ meant _ to be like. Pretty nice, right?” Gael’gar leaned forward into the momentum of the ship, his wings folding with the wind. 

“We’ll be at the Shoulder before the sun breaks, assassin girl. Just relax and enjoy the ride.”

* * *

“Your Highness!” A High Entia uniformed guard called. “an unidentified flying craft has crashed into the southern tip of the Lumian Plateau!”

“Is that so…?” A Machina rose from his seat, and waved his arm towards the southern gate. “Go, gather a company to retrieve its crew and bring them to the capital.”

“Sir, yes, sir!” The soldier responded back with a salute, her footsteps fading into the distance.

“Schala?” The Machina crossed his arms. “Won’t you go and meet our esteemed guests? I’m sure they could use a nice tour around the city.”

“As you wish.” The High Entia woman bowed. 

“Wait.” The Machina stopped them from moving any further. “You know what to do if one of them possesses…” His voice trailed off.

“I understand.” Schala nodded. “Anyone possessing the blood of Zanza will be sent to you immediately.” 

“Very good. I have certainly raised you well, my child.” The Machina looked pleased with himself. As Schala left, he looked out the window, towards the statue in the town square. It guided him during his times of need, and he assumed that it would be no different today. Whoever the party that had arrived on the Shoulder today had to be connected to the destruction of the Bionis, he just knew it. 

* * *

“Ow…” Reyn rubbed his throbbing head. “Did we crash into the Shoulder?”

“Most likely.” Sharla stood up, her legs shaking. “We probably would have died if we fell from that height back down to Alcamoth.” 

“What the hell was that, do you reckon?” Reyn stood up next to her. “Think the Fog King blasted us out of the sky?”

“I don’t know, but if so… why didn’t it attack us when were close by to Alcamoth? Surely we would’ve been spotted from that distance if the Fog King could see us from this far.”

“We should catch up with the others.” Reyn looked around at the mostly empty bottom deck, save for the wrecked control panel and... Reyn moved to pull out the young boy from the water that had seeped into the ship from the crash. “Hey, Teelan! Are you alright?” 

The High Entia boy did not respond. 

“He’s still breathing, that’s good.” Sharla placed the boy on her back. “You’re right, Reyn. Let’s catch up with the others.” 

But as they exited the ship and onto the Bionis Shoulder for the first time, they noticed that the rest of the party was… nowhere to be found. 

“Do you think they went ahead?” Reyn squinted at the horizon, trying to find a trace of their friends. “There’s no way they left us three behind like this.” 

“Probably not.” Sharla pinched together the skin on her cheek. “Maybe they got into some trouble, and they couldn’t stick around… that’s the only explanation I can come up with.” 

“How about that thing?” Reyn pointed in the direction of the giant stone wall they had seen back on the Junks, both it and the structure behind it standing large than life over the rest of the Bionis Shoulder. “They might have went there for some cover. Who knows? Maybe there’s some more people on the Shoulder, too.” 

“Good idea, Reyn. Let’s get moving.”

* * *

The city they had been brought to was one unlike Alcamoth nor Agniritha. It wasn’t filled with the latest technological feats, like giant floating monitors or annoying talking terminals. It was very… primitive, almost, in comparison. Houses were lined up across city streets, with banners stringing and weaving through the roofs. 

Melia peered into one of the windows and saw a family of High Entia, staring back at her in return. She pulled away quickly, but the shock on her face remained the same.  _ How _ , she thought,  _ How are there more High Entia here on the Shoulder? _

Linada looked up at Vanea, who only nodded. “It seems you were right, Linada. Our people… they must be here, as well.”

“Keep moving, all of you.” The High Entia guard called from the back of them. “Our queen is requesting your audience as soon as possible.” 

“I still don’t get it.” Fiora whispered. “I thought the last monarchs died hundreds of years ago.” 

Dunban only shrugged. “Apparently not. I had learned the same in school, but... perhaps High Entia history was different than ours.” 

The two turned to Melia, who had been quietly studying the small town. “I have as little knowledge of this place as you do,” she responded. “Father would have told us if he knew about another population of High Entia.” 

Yet there was a flicker of… something in her voice. Was it distrust? It was as if Melia did not believe in the words she told her two friends. Dunban and Fiora decided not to press further on the subject. 

The party continued on further into the city, coming into a larger square, the large structure finally coming in to full view, it was a beautiful cross-shaped building, standing proudly over the square. It was covered in different paintings and murals, and made the square look as if bursting with life. When party’s eyes returned to the square after gazing upwards, they saw something that made their hearts stop.

There  _ he  _ was, his beautiful elegance eternally frozen in time. Alvis stood over the square, one hand firmly planted on a Monado that was stuck into the ground. His eyes were as calm as it had always been, but he looked different, more valiant. His stance was wide yet firm, his fur coat had been replaced by a cloak. And right there, on the crux of his chest, was a beautiful gem that shined red with the sun. It was an impeccable likeness, yet it was merely a replica- the statue’s chiseled stone was so finely detailed, however, it might have been mistaken for the real thing.

Shulk was silent as he looked up at the statue, at the Monado, at  _ Alvis _ . The scientist had last seen the man after he had made his final decision, one year ago. He was unsure whether or not Alvis was still alive, even, or if he had permanently stationed himself to the administrative role, observing the Bionis and all of its inhabitants from above. Regardless, Shulk felt anger well up inside him.

_ Are you testing me, Alvis? With this world, with this place-- have we not earned the right to live our lives in peace? You continue to torment me with your challenges, and now this? _

Shulk tossed his scornful look to the ground. 

“Greetings, travelers!” A voice spoke up from ahead of the party, brimming with steely authority. “Welcome to Tchittre, the great city of the Bionis Shoulder, and I am it’s ruler, Queen Schala.”

It was a High Entia, older than any the party had met before. Her long dress dragged across the floor behind her, her arms outstretched as she walked towards the party. Her short, sharp wings were decorated with two red ribbons that draped behind her. 

“We haven’t had Homs  _ or _ Machina visitors in  _ so _ long, so imagine our surprise to see a flying ship deliver a whole number of them to us!” The queen dropped her arms below her waist, taking note of their perplexed looks.

“We weren’t  _ delivered.”  _ Linada replied. “Our ship was damaged by something, and we have a pretty good idea on what exactly it was.” 

“Oh, we can discuss the specific details later.” The woman gestured behind her, past the statue of Alvis and into the cross-shaped building. “Won’t you come stay in our palace? I’m sure you can tell us all about your plight once we’re inside.” 

“Wait, hold on.” Shulk interrupted. “We’re missing a few of our friends, they might still be inside our ship. We have to go get them.” 

“You, with that sword… guards, why don’t you escort him to the Lorekeeper’s office? I’m sure he can help you with your plight.” Schala delivered her judgement swiftly, and turned heel. “After me, everyone.” 

* * *

Tyrea stayed a few paces behind as Gael’gar walked into Tchittre, gaining awkward stares at her enlarged wings. Gael’gar’s eyes, however, were only on the storefront signs as he began making his way through and around houses and corners.

“Hey, where are we going, exactly?” Tyrea picked up her walking speed to follow after the High Entia. 

“Not sure yet. It was a gift from my mother, though I don’t know how exactly I’m supposed to recognize it in all of this  _ uniformity _ .”

“Don’t you already know how to get around this place?” Tyrea asked, barely keeping up with the white haired man as he dashed about the city. 

“Nope! It’s my first time here, actually. Beautiful place-- just like all the stories I heard about. Not bad, huh? Told you so.” 

“It’s your  _ first time here?!”  _ Tyrea’s eyes boring a hole into Gael’gar as they stopped in front of an old building. “What the hell was that whole speech about--” 

“Hey, shh. I’m a little busy here, okay? The last thing I need is some annoying little Flamii chirping in my ear as I try to open this door.” He fidgeted with the knob a little and took a step back, frowning. 

“ _ Flamii? _ ” Tyrea’s anger was no longer confined to her steely hair. “Listen, you little…!”

Gael’gar kicked the door in and ducked inside. Tyrea sighed as she followed suit. 

The shop was quaint, but it was clear it had been vacant for years. Tyrea traced dust on the windowsill as he turned to Gael’gar, who was taking in the room around him. She was unable to tell what exactly kind of shop it  _ was _ , but there were shelves that had placed themselves neatly around the room, each labeled something in a language that Tyrea could just barely not understand. It was definitely High Entia, she could be sure of that, but… 

“Gael’gar, it’s time you told me the truth about this place. I trusted you to take me to the Shoulder, but if you were lying about it all, then I want out. I’m not going to take part in another one of your schemes.” Tyrea crossed her arms. 

Gael’gar turned and raised his hands in surrender- and, just like when he pleaded for her assistance back in Eryth Sea, Tyrea felt as if his next words really were genuine. “I know, I know. Take a seat. I’ll tell you about this place… and I’ll tell you about me, too.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! i apologize for the amount of time between uploads. as i've mentioned before, school has just started for me, so i am doing my best to juggle updates along with school stuff. in exchange, i am going to try and write longer chapters to make up for it! normally chapters are about 2k-2.5k words, so i'm doing my best to make 2.5k the absolute bare minimum going forward.
> 
> (... and if you're not following my other works, i am writing a zelda fic that you can find, [here.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26547229/chapters/64713385) it's my own personal labor of love, so please check it out if you are at all enjoying this fic!)


	11. The World Through Sullen Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Recollection and reminiscence.

It had been a few minutes since Shulk had been escorted into a room deep into the building. It was a library, lined with books from wall to wall- a massive collection, larger than the one he had in the Colony, and perhaps large enough to rival the tales of the massive High Entian record rooms.

Staring at the room around him, however, all he felt was a rising annoyance. The taunting statue of Alvis was barely visible through a window, but the Homs still felt as if it cast a dark shadow over him. He was alone with his thoughts for the first time in a few days, and Shulk had the chance to think about what had transpired over the first few weeks. 

First, there was the arrival of the refugees at New Colony 9. Refugees in Alcamoth, a city that Shulk was unsure even  _ still existed _ until they had arrived. They were supposed to be safe, they were supposed to have been transported to the colony; that’s what happened to everyone else. So why, Shulk asked himself, were they not saved?

Then, the Fog King: a mysterious beast had driven the remaining High Entia out of their home. Still, he had not seen the beast for himself, but that posed a larger problem- the fact that the Fog King was too dangerous to even approach in the first place. When had it appeared, and why?

Lastly, there was the Bionis Shoulder, which housed a whole  _ city  _ of High Entia, Nopon, and Homs, all of which had remained secret from the world for, well, Shulk couldn’t even imagine how long it must have been. In spite of the crumbling Bionis in which they float above, the people of this city seemed entirely peaceful, almost blissfully  _ unaware _ of what had transpired.

All of it, each mystery, layered on top of each other in an intertwining web, yet a single thread in Shulk’s mind strung it all together: Alvis.

When the Monado had granted Shulk’s wish all those years ago, Shulk had put his entire trust in Alvis’ hands, trusting that the world they would live in would include  _ everyone _ , from all walks of life and from all over the Bionis and Mechonis. Yet, some people had a different future thrust upon them. The High Entia trapped in Alcamoth had to deal with the Fog King, and were forced to abandon their ancestral home. 

The Fog King itself was an enigma, but one that posed a threat that was all too familiar- one of supernatural proportions, whose power far outmatched the party’s comprehension. Power that had previously only been held by Zanza, Meyneth, and their three disciples- all of whom received their power from the Monado, directly on indirectly. 

And there was the Bionis Shoulder, and, well, Shulk didn’t need to think long and hard about the city’s connection to the Monado. The statue outside the building was proof enough- a reminder etched into Shulk’s mind that the world he thought he knew was being overturned once again, and at this point, he was getting quite annoyed with being caught in the middle of it. 

A door at the other end of the room opened slowly as a Machina walked through, each step powerful, as if demanding Shulk’s attention. Shulk’s tired eyes glared at the figure that had appeared before him with an unamused expression. The Machina opened his mouth to speak, but Shulk raised a hand to stop him.

“Before you begin,” Shulk spoke, hand still firmly raised. “Queen Schala told me you would help my friends. They’re still in that ship that crashed in the waterfall back the other way, and they weren’t brought to the capital alongside the rest of us.”

The Machina closed his mouth, clearly taken aback by the Homs’ forwardness. He quickly composed himself as he barked an order. “Guards!”

The two High Entia guards that had escorted him into the room burst through the closed doors behind him, standing at attention. “Sir, yes, sir!” 

“Guards, I  _ thought _ I had told you to bring  _ all _ of our new guests to the capital? Resolve this boy’s request at once.” The Machina closed his eyes as he stood straight, firmly clutching his right arm. 

“S-sorry, sir! It won’t happen again!” One of the guards cried.

“Go. Now.” The Machina commanded, and the guards began to scuttle out of the room, almost tripping over their own feathers as they ran. 

“Now, shall we get down to business?” The Machina smiled. “I believe introductions are in order, then? I am known as the Lorekeeper to the people of Tchittre, but you may call me… Alvis.” 

“Pick another one.” Shulk responded without facing the Lorekeeper. “I don’t know what you think gives you the right to use that name, but I’m not in the mood to hear it. Especially with after seeing that statue in the square.” 

“...I see. And here I was, thinking that I was being too sentimental.” The Lorekeeper chuckled, walking over to the side of the room, his eyes scanning the shelves as he looked something. “Alvis was an old friend of mine, you see.” 

Shulk crossed his arms. “So it would seem.” 

“Do you know why I called you here, boy?” The Lorekeeper reached into the shelves and retrieving a strange book, it’s cover lined with graceful gold accents. 

“Schala mentioned it first, so I assume you’re interested in…” Shulk detached the Monado REX from his back and threw it onto the table in front of him with a harsh sounding clank. “This.” 

The Lorekeeper looked up at the sword, and then back at the boy. “You are so willing to forfeit the weapon of creation?” 

Shulk leaned back into his seat, chuckling softly. “That’s not the genuine article, I’m afraid. It’s merely a replica of it-- the real one’s been destroyed.” 

“If that is the case, then I assume you know the weight of the sword that once was.” The Lorekeeper tucked the book under his shoulder as he picked up the Monado REX, turning it over in his hand. “And why I am reasonably concerned.” 

“Zanza’s gone, too.” Shulk nodded in understanding. “Perished alongside the Bionis, one year ago.” 

The Lorekeeper laughed, placing the sword back on the table. “You acknowledge the weight of the blade, but you underestimate the intricacies of its wielder. Zanza is not so easily disposed of, Homs.”

“I am aware.” Shulk’s voice was strong and firm. “But I do not lie. One year ago, we defeated Zanza, and we destroyed the Bionis.” 

The Machina raised his eyebrows quizzically, and then laughed at Shulk’s serious expression. “Well then, it seems I was the one who was mistaken. I feel that, somehow, your words ring true, Homs.”

The Lorekeeper looked out the window, at the statue in the square. “Needless to say, I did not expect to receive such news today. But if that really is the case, I must ask. What of the disciples of Zanza? Did they meet their end too?” 

“Dickson and Lorithia fell defending their master, but Alvis…” Shulk paused. “It’s been over a year since I’ve last seen him.”

“I… I see.” 

“Did you know them, Lorekeeper?” Shulk asked, rubbing his chin. “I’d assume it’s only natural. Machina do have quite the long lifespans, after all…”

“Those disciples are the whole reason why this city exists, Homs.” 

* * *

Tyrea leaned against the window while Gael’gar began to speak, still sifting through the remains of the old store they found themselves in. 

“I was born here, but I didn’t end up staying very long. My mother fled the Bionis Shoulder after she had me, so I grew up in Alcamoth, never knowing this place was my homeland. I also never knew my father, but I suppose that’s a story for another time.” Gael’gar laughed softly, and continued. 

“It wasn’t until I was grown enough, I’d say around sixty or seventy, that my mother told me the truth for the first time. She told me that she had fled from the Bionis Shoulder, and she told me about Tchittre, the hidden city in which High Entia lived without discrimination like they did in the capital. Ya see, being half-blooded  _ and _ not having a solid foothold as citizens of the capital… didn’t pan out very well for us. But she insisted that even despite all of that, Tchittre was no place for her to return to. That, somehow, living in Tchittre would be  _ worse _ than practically living in the slums in Alcamoth.” 

Tyrea looked out the window at the city streets of Tchittre. People looked… content with themselves, going along their daily lives without a care in the world. It was a strange change of pace compared to the gloomy bunch she had spent the past week with. “Why do you think that was?” 

“She never told me, and… she died of sickness before she could.” Gael’gar rubbed his right arm softly. “I knew that I had to return to Tchittre, one day. I had to see what she meant, and what she was so afraid of. A few days after her death, I discovered a letter she had written. To me, on her deathbed. Do you want to know what it said?” 

Tyrea nodded. 

“It said that she was the descendant of an ancient High Entia emperor, and as such, I had a claim to the throne.” 

“Hold on a sec there, Gael’gar.” Tyrea interrupted. “All heirs of the royal family have always been recorded in the Ancestral Records… if your ancestors really did have royal blood, then there’s no reason for your bloodline to have ever left the capital. They would have stayed and became rulers.” 

“That’s what I thought, as well. But I…her message remained in the back of my head for years, after that. I couldn’t ignore it and go back to Tchittre if it was true-- and I knew that my mother wouldn’t have left that letter for me unless she really did believe it possible. I wanted to honor her dying wish, whatever it was she intended for me to know when I would open that letter.”

Gael’gar made a display of his fancy coat, which symbolized his status as a part of the royal guard. “And so, I did everything in my power to get closer and closer to the Royal Family. Perhaps, I thought I could get into those records myself, and see the truth. I studied to be a part of the Ministry of Research. I trained to join the Royal Guard, and when the Allied Forces began to march on Sword Valley, I had a Havres prepared to sneak back into Alcamoth while the empress and the prince were away from the capital. But then…”

“So that was when…?” Tyrea began in stark realization. 

“But then, one and a half years ago, when the Mechonis reawakened, I was on a Havres atop Sword Valley. When the accursed titan lifted its sword to face the Bionis for the first time, my vessel was sent flying towards the swamp of Satorl Marsh. And that’s where…”

“And that’s where we first met. I remember that day quite well.” Tyrea nodded. “So, what’s this place? Why’ve we come here?” 

“This is my mother’s home, or at least, I hope it is.” Gael’gar laughed, scratching his head. “She told me about it, long ago. It’s long since abandoned, of course, but… I had to go see for myself.”

“What did she do here?” Tyrea asked, looking around once more. “It’s quite the pretty store.” 

“Oh, well, she made a living making toys, but… she was actually a pretty skilled mechanic. She made this--” Gael’gar tapped his headpiece. “It’s for fighting Telethia. She told me at a pretty young age the fate of the pure-bloods.”

“I see… I had assumed that those were made by the Machina population you mentioned earlier. Speaking of, and admittedly, I don’t really  _ know _ what they look like, I don’t think I’ve seen any Machina around this place.” 

“I thought I would’ve seen one by now, too. There were some back in that Homs colony, but…” Gael’gar put a hand on his chin. “Perhaps they’ve all died out since I left.” 

“Why do you think there’d be Machina here, anyway?” 

“Well, my mom used to say that she learned all she needed to know about her craft from a Machina. I suppose I don’t quite know whether or not there would be an abundance of them here, but I can’t be blamed for taking a guess, right?” Gael’gar shrugged. 

“I guess so. So, we’ve been to your old place, and I think I’ve done all the sightseeing I’ve wanted to when you whisked us around the city trying to find it. So, what’s the plan now, then?” 

“Well, I was hoping that we could stay here a while. This where I was born, after all. After that, well.” Gael’gar tossed a familiar-looking crumpled piece of paper at the assassin. “We’ve got some Telethia to hunt down.” 

Tyrea caught it in her hands. “Do you think they’ve already transformed?” 

“I think it’s likely, but I’m unsure on  _ how _ transformed they’ll be.” 

Gael’gar noticed Tyrea’s puzzled look. 

“Here, lemme explain it to you. Here on Tchittre, there’s no pure-blooded High Entia anymore, and there hasn’t been for a thousand years, as far as I’m aware. Everyone here’s got some tiny wings.” 

Tyrea nodded. “Yes, I’ve noticed.” 

“If the big L really did successfully create a serum to reconstruct the Telethia gene, it can’t just build something out of nothing-- it would need a base, an original strand, no matter how broken it may be, to build off of. If these test subjects really are from Tchittre, it’s unlikely that the Telethia gene really is present in any major way. That old guy at the tomb told me that my Homs gene integration was over 100%--”

“The… ‘the old guy at the tomb’?” Tyrea interrupted. “Wait, surely you’re not referring to  _ the High Entia Tomb,  _ right? You’re not telling me that you visited the resting place of our forefathers?” 

“I did just a couple of days ago, actually. Hey! I told you I wanted to confirm my bloodline, remember? Aw, don’t look at me like that, Tyrea, if I was really--” 

“You didn’t tell me this!” Tyrea hissed. “What were the results?!” 

Gael’gar shrugged. “Oh! Well, the progenitor validated my claim to the throne.”

“What?!” 

* * *

“Excuse me, sir!” Guards busted into the library, interrupting the Homs and the Machina’s conversation. 

“What is it, guards? I didn’t expect you to be back so soon from that mission.” The Lorekeeper clutched his arm again as he spoke. “I assume you’re here to report news?”

“Sir, yes, sir! Permission to speak, sir!” One of the guards yelled. The Machina nodded as the guard began her report. 

“T-the people who went to go retrieve the Homs’ friends at the ship that had crashed… they reported that no persons were found at the crash site, sir!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i rarely talk about the chapters themselves in these end notes, but i had to write this first portion THREE TIMES because i wasn't satisfied with how things were turning out. as always, i'd like to thank my beta, anibrivity, for keeping me sane through this chapter. 
> 
> a little bit of an announcement: progress for scorched feathers will be slightly slowed as i'll be working on [Xenotober 2020](https://twitter.com/monado_zine/status/1304845408804499456?s=20) for the next month! i hope you enjoy my endeavor to try to put something out every day for a whole month. it's my first time doing a challenge like this, so wish me luck. 
> 
> rest assured, chapter 12 will be out in the next month, but once we hit november, i will be aiming to work on scorched feathers full force until it is finished! as always, thank you for reading and an even bigger thank you if you've read this entire update section haha


	12. Life Inside The City Walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The party encounters more trouble.

Though the city streets seemed to be full of High Entia and Nopon going about their daily lives, the interior of the palace seemed to be eerily quiet. Occasionally, Dunban could hear a guard climbing the stairwells as they traversed through the building’s many floors, but the long lapses of silence did not go unnoticed. 

“I suppose it was nice of them to give us lodging,” Dunban lay down on one of the palace beds. “But I do hope Shulk’s alright.”

Fiora yawned with her face planted in the bed across from him. “I’m worried too, but he still has that  _ weapon _ strapped to his back. I’m sure he’s just dying to get in some danger again so he can actually use it.” 

Dunban could feel the vitriol dripping from his sister’s words. “You’re mad at him, huh.”

“That boy won’t listen to me  _ or _ Reyn. He thinks that the Monado makes him feel safe, but if you ask me, he’s more scared with it rather than without. What’s the point of shaping the future if you’re still hanging onto the mistakes of the past?” 

“It seems you’ve noticed more than I have, sister. I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but I haven’t been keeping much of a watchful eye on him myself.” 

“Oh, it’s not like that.” Fiora huffed. “You know I worry sometimes.”

“It’s one of your strengths, Fiora. Don’t get me wrong.” The soldier smiled. “So, what mistakes has he made that he’s been holding onto, anyway?”

“It’s not  _ his _ mistakes. It’s  _ Alvis’ _ . Shulk’s convinced that these little inconsistencies we’re finding, that they’re purposeful. Like Alvis left these trails of evidence to tell us something, to tell  _ him _ something.”

“I suppose that might not be too far off mark. After all, Shulk had mentioned before he had received dreams of Alvis while we were travelling up the Bionis.”

“Well, I don’t buy it. Shulk’s too deep in his own head, as usual. Zanza is gone- the only thing we can hope to do is move forward without trying to predict the future. Shulk’s tried so hard to fit everything into his vision of what the future should be that he’s forgotten that the future was never supposed to be perfect.” 

The words drifted out of her mouth in criticism of Shulk, but Dunban knew better than to assume that that was the only thing on her sister’s mind. The older brother realized that this was the first time since travelling to Alcamoth that they had a moment of peace. There was no doubt in his mind that the last few weeks had weighed heavily down on Fiora, as well.

“...How do you feel about all of this?” Dunban began. “It’s been a rough few weeks on all of us. Of course I care about Shulk, but I’m worried about you, too.” 

Fiora turned over in the opposite bunk to stare at her brother. “Me?”

She received only a silent nod in response.

“I don’t know.” The girl paused.

Her brother nodded again, encouraging her to speak.

“Well, I’m… I’m scared, too. Is this all there is for us, Dunban? Will we be fighting for the rest of our lives? It was Egil, and then it was Zanza, and now the Fog King. But I keep thinking to myself, what happens after that?” 

Painfully, Dunban heard the cracks in her voice- but he could offer no advice. 

Shulk, Reyn, Fiora, Melia… they were only kids. Ever since they had left their homes, it had been an uphill battle for their lives, for the finality of peace. He’d often forget, however, that a world of strife had been forced upon them. They fought valiantly because they believed in securing a path to the future, but on that fateful day in Colony 9? That night atop of Prison Island? They were caught up in something larger than themselves. Their only choice was to play the part of hero, because, in a cruel twist of fate, they had been chosen over everyone else. 

Dunban had grown up differently. From the moment he decided to join the Defense Force, the only future in his sights was the one where he wielded the Monado, refusing to give up the fight against the Mechon until his blood ran cold. A future filled with fighting is  _ what he wished for,  _ and he would gladly take the sacrifice if it meant that the people he loved would be safe. And so, the path before him had always been clear. He chose to fight in the place of the weak, in the place of defenseless, in the place of everyone who had been thrust into the world of strife unprepared.

And though he would never ask before, he realized in that moment that his sister, though strong beyond words, had been wrung by fate so many times to the point of disillusion.

“Fiora, I…” He came to her, placing a light palm on her back. Sighing deeply, the girl turned over to face her brother. She wasn’t crying, nor did Dunban expect her to be. 

“I’m okay, Dunban.” She said, barely louder than a whisper.

“I know. It’s going to be okay, Fiora.” 

“Do you promise?”

“I promise.”

* * *

Two loud screeches soared through the air, drawing the attention of anyone in the vicinity.

On the plains of the Bionis Shoulder, Reyn and Sharla had found themselves surrounded- out of nowhere, two enemies had descended from the sky, swirling black mist coursing around their heads. A detail that was largely unnoticed, however, as the two swiftly prepared for battle. 

“Alright, Sharla.” Reyn’s gunlance was strapped to the boy’s arm, poised to strike at any given moment. “What’s the plan?” 

Sharla stood with rifle in hand, taking careful paces with the duo’s backs to each other. Like routine, she began to size up the birds that had appeared in front of them. “Two blue Taos’... they’re volatile creatures, and they attack in pairs of blows. You draw the attention of that one, and I’ll try to put the other in standing sleep.”

“Sounds good to me.” Reyn pounded his gunlance, creating a distracting mess of noises to lead the birds’ eyes to him. “What happens if the tranquilizers don’t work?” 

“...Uh, we can cross that bridge when we get to it.” Sharla aimed closely at one of the two Taos’ in front of them. “Our main goal should be to protect Teelan, okay? Keep them on you as long as you can.” 

The High Entia boy had still not regained consciousness in the brief time they had spent together, and was slumbering peacefully against a rock a few feet away. In the heat of the moment, they hadn’t the time to hide Teelan safely.

“Right!” Reyn called, dragging the bird’s attention down again. “Come here, birdbrains!”

In the distance, two figures watched the duo battle the giant birds, observing their movements. They were one Machina, one High Entia, quietly conversing as the latter took notes.

“What do you see, Radzam?” The High Entia spoke, flipping quickly through a notepad filled back to front with drawings and specific labels. 

“These ones are afflicted as well. Look there.” He pointed at the Taos’ wings, the faint swirls of black mist circling them. “It’s been only a day, and yet the beast’s influence has already spread this far. Not good.”

“We’ll tell the rest to move further inwards, then. The forest should provide some cover as we head towards the underpass of the Shoulder.”

“No, it’s too dangerous down there. Our scouts have reported as much. If we retreat from the Cape, we’ll get mauled by the hostiles there.”

“Then pick your poison, Radzam. Those  _ things _ are scarier than a bunch of wild animals. We’ve got no other choice.”

“Wrong.” The Machina interrupted. “We can round up the refugees, and march to Tchittre together. _ That’s _ our other choice.”

“That’s barely an option.” The High Entia fired back. “You know as well as I do that the city gates open for no one. Not even fellow High Entia.” 

“And I respect their decision. Unfortunately, neither we nor them have a choice in the matter, Arlon. The remains of Alcamoth have followed you to the Bionis Shoulder, the Fog King hidden amongst the rubble. If it really is as dangerous as you say, then now is the time for action. While it’s still wounded, while it’s using--” Radzam pointed at the two Taos’. “It’s using other monsters to fight in its place because it can’t attack on it’s own. We need numbers, Arlon. We  _ need  _ Tchittre.” 

Arlon rubbed his forehead in exasperation. “And like I  _ told _ you, it’s best that we keep our distance. We have one job, Radzam: find out the Fog King’s patterns, and then we stay the bloody hell out of it’s way. We lost too many men back in Alcamoth. We’re not prepared for another fight. What makes you think a few more cattle won’t just add to the slaughter?” 

“The difference is that we have the upper hand. This might be the only chance we have to mount a counteroffensive, and you’re going to give it up before we even try? What happened to your pride? What happened to-” 

“Don’t you lecture me about pride.” Arlon spat. “I had pride in an empire that didn’t care about me. Nobody came back for me, or my men. When the crown spits in your face, what respect is a soldier supposed to have for it?” 

Radzam was silent. 

“I’m happy to leave it behind. I’m happy to be  _ safe _ , Radzam. With the others. With you. Let’s take what little we have left and be satisfied with it. You don’t have to fight my battles- there’s no battles left to fight, anyway.”

* * *

“What do you mean they’re not there?” Shulk asked. “They had to have been in the Junks when it crashed.” 

“Is it, perhaps, that they moved since my guards escorted you to the capital?” The Lorekeeper asked, hand on his chin. “I’m sure there was adequate time for them to have escaped the wreckage.”

“That’s the only explanation that makes sense. But that means they have to be somewhere on the Shoulder, correct?” Shulk reached for the discarded Replica Monado, which lay back on the table. “I have to go looking for them.” 

After a few moments of silence, the Lorekeeper reached an arm out to the boy. “Wait. I shall accompany you out of Tchittre.” 

Before Shulk got a chance to speak, he was cut off by the guard that had delivered the news.

“S-sir! Are you certain?” The guard standing at attention raised a salute. “I don’t believe you have ever left the capital my entire life here, sir. If you need, we can send our troops to accompany the boy-.” 

“You needn’t remind me- Rayla, am I correct?” The guard nodded, in awe that the Lorekeeper had recalled her name.

“I know the history of Tchittre better than anyone else, do I not? Please, do not be afraid.” The Machina chuckled. “Besides, I would like to continue our current conversation, if that would be okay with you, Master Shulk. Alone.” 

The boy had a moment’s hesitation, but nodded. “I would like to, as well. If what you say is really true, then…” 

“I understand. Speak not a word more in these halls. Guards! Alert Lady Schala of my decision. She shall be your acting ruler in case of emergency.” 

“Sir, yes, sir!” 

“Now, come with me.” The Lorekeeper nodded in Shulk’s direction. “There is another exit to the castle.” 

The two made haste past the door Shulk had seen the Lorekeeper enter through. It was a small hallway, two doors on either side and another at the other end of the corridor. The Machina beckoned for Shulk to follow as he made his way towards the back door. 

“The people here seem to really respect you,” Shulk pointed out as they pushed through the exit. 

“The guards in the castle, yes. As a Machina, I have lived here on the Shoulder longer than they could ever comprehend. You are aware of our long lifespans, correct?”

Shulk nodded as the Machina continued. “As I discussed, It was Zanza’s disciples that allowed me to live here, on the Shoulder. There used to be more of us- Machina, I mean- but I am the only one that remains.”

“What happened to the others?” The boy asked. 

The light outside the city walls broke through as they stepped outside, a small set of stairs that led out of the city. The Lorekeeper did not turn to face him as he spoke.

“They were murdered. Murdered by the very same disciples who gave me the gift of life.”

* * *

The party resting at the castle reconvened that evening in the dining hall, Queen Schala sitting at the front of the table. 

“Hold on a moment.” Nene spoke, barely able to hold herself back from the mountain of food that had been graciously presented to her. “Where is Mister Shulk?” 

The table turned to look at Lady Schala, who didn’t flinch at the question. “The Lorekeeper and your friend are still in his private offices quarters. They have much to discuss, after all. Please, there is no cause for alarm- we haven’t accepted visitors in a long time, that’s all.” 

“Accepted visitors?” Vanea inquired. “What does that mean?” 

“We in Tchittre adhere to very strict rules, my dear. Nobody comes in, and nobody comes out.” Queen Schala gestured to the food on the table. “Won’t you care to eat some? Our servers worked very hard on tonight’s feast, you know.” 

“Er, no thanks.” Vanea waved two hands. “Not hungry.”

“The city’s in lockdown?” Melia spoke. “How strange. I suppose not many people come and visit the Bionis Shoulder, however.” 

Fiora cut through her food as she spoke. “Is it really so strange? Alcamoth practically took us for prisoners the first time we arrived.” 

“Well, that was because we were in possession of the Monado.” Dunban replied. “We posed a threat to them, and so they arrested us. But the High Entia do have a long history of being closed off from the world. It seems that Tchittre is no different. I am suspicious of the fact that nobody is allowed to leave, however.” 

“Again, there is no cause for alarm. It has been many years since visitors have arrived in Tchittre, yes, but the Lorekeeper is not cruel. We will not detain you to the city.” Schala chimed in. 

“You talk of this Lorekeeper fellow as if you’re beneath him, Your Highness. I don’t mean to be rude, but I thought that you were the ruler of this city.” Dunban said.

“...Yes, it is true that the Lorekeeper holds a greater position than I. However, he has resigned himself to a life of solitude in the castle. Though I act as the standing ruler of Tchittre, the guards in this castle respond only to him.” Queen Schala smiled brightly. “But please, no more questions. We are not gathered here tonight to speak politics, after all.” 

A few hours after dinner, Melia found herself roaming the castle halls, with Nene trailing just a few paces behind. The jade palace was quite simple, compared to what Melia was used to in Alcamoth. There were no great halls, just smaller corridors that snaked into smaller rooms. Technology had definitely not advanced as far as it had back in her home, but she still found beauty in it’s subtleties. 

“Do you like it?” A voice startled the girl, who had lost herself in her thoughts. Nene jumped and ran behind the former empress.

“Ah! Y-your Highness,” Melia responded. “I apologize for wandering.” 

“Oh, my child. There is no need.” Queen Schala smiled. “This palace is the very heart and soul of Tchittre.” 

“I can tell. It’s very well made.” Melia turned and gestured towards the sides of the hall, adorned with intricate etchings, the signs of remarkable craftsmanship.

“The first settlers in Tchittre here learned their ways of life from the Nopon.” The queen smiled at Nene. “Take only what you can see- live alongside the Bionis, don’t trample it. That’s the way of your people, isn’t it?”

Nene only nodded. 

“It’s very different from where I’m from. Alcamoth is... it was a city that was very grand in scale.”

“I’ve heard the many tales, child. I’ve longed to meet our brethren in our sister city.” Melia could almost feel the sadness that dripped from Schala’s words- the queen was quite adept at masking it, but Melia was far too familiar in the art of hollow smiles.

“Have you never gone?” 

“Under the laws of our city, we are not allowed to leave. The Lorekeeper protects us within the castle walls. Even as the queen, I am bound here.” 

“Is that really alright with you? To spend the rest of your life here?” 

“It is of no consequence to me, or the people of Tchittre.” Schala replied. “This is our home.”

“I… ugh.” Melia pressed a hand to her forehead. A splitting headache had suddenly came over her, one that had been routine ever since that day on the Havres. “That’s… not right…”

“Miss Melly!” Nene exclaimed, flapping her wings with worry. “Your head poundy again?” 

“I’m quite alright, Nene.” The former empress spoke through heavy breaths. Melia looked around the hallway with wild eyes. “Where’s Sharla? I need to… see her…”

“Sharla still missing, remember?” Nene responded worriedly. The girl looked worse and worse by the minute, her legs visibly shaking.

“My child, you’re sick.” Schala moved swiftly to catch Melia, who could only lean her weight against the elder woman as her strength gave out. The queen placed a gentle hand on her forehead to check the girl’s temperature. “Goodness, it’s far worse than anything I’ve ever seen before. How long have these headaches been happening?” 

“It’s been few weeks, Lady Schala.” Nene piped up. “Melly have many achey heads.”

“That’s not a very good sign. Here, won’t you come with me?” Schala gestured for the Nopon to follow her as she carried the High Entia girl in her arms. “Miss Melly here needs to get some proper treatment.” 

“Lady Schala medic too?” Nene asked in awe as the two made for the queen’s quarters. “Will help Miss Melly?” 

“I don’t know if  _ medic _ is the right word, Miss Nene. But I’m quite knowledgeable on your friend’s predicament. It’s a sickness that’s very common here in Tchittre.” 

“What wrong with Miss Melly?” Nene wondered. 

“She’s simply become in touch with a more… primal side of her bloodline.” The queen smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome back to scorched feathers and thank you so very much for waiting! i know i'm one day off with this update, but i hope it would be worth the wait.
> 
> as i said in my last update, i'm going to be trying to work on scorched feathers full speed ahead until it's finished! i had a lot of fun discovering what i wanted this fic to be over my month long break, and i cannot wait to deliver to you what's been in my head for so, so long. 
> 
> as always, thank you very much for reading, and i hope you have a good day.


	13. A Rusted History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Teelan regains consciousness to a few familiar faces. Shulk and the Lorekeeper peel away the layers of Tchittre's complicated history.

“Heave!” A group of High Entia and Machina carried a stack of logs into the center of camp. The afternoon sun had began to wane, disappearing under sea-like clouds that surrounded the floating island. The crowd began to disperse into smaller duties, some retreating into tents, others lighting the torches that lined the perimeter of their encampment. The cape they had taken refuge on had a view of the entire Shoulder, guards at the entrance stood and watched as darkness descended over the green plains.

“Hey, Kyon.” A guard whispered to another standing a few feet away. “Did you hear? The captain had a bit of a falling out with Radzam. Some of the guys heard ‘em arguing in their tents earlier.” 

“Oh, no!” Kyon whispered back. “They’re still okay, though, right?” 

“Yeah, I mean, it’s not like anything could break them up. But the captain  _ is _ pretty steamed about it. Hope that doesn’t mean more late shifts for us.” 

“l  _ knew _ something was up when they returned back to camp. Just didn’t have a chance to ask, since they brought back those new guys with them.” 

The first guard tilted her head. “Oh, you mean Teelan and the others?” 

“So you know them?” 

“Yeah, of course! Teelan was always hanging around the city escalators. As for the other two… well, I don’t remember their names, but they did the occasional job for the guard a few years ago. They were a great help, but they never stuck around in the city long enough for me to get their names down.” 

“Small world.” Kyon responded. “I didn’t think there was anyone else on the Shoulder besides us.” 

* * *

Teelan awoke to a dimly lit tent, a throbbing head, and his last memory being the crash landing of the Junks in the Bionis Shoulder.

“Oh, hey. It’s good to see you’re doing alright, Teelan. A little lightheaded, I assume?” Sharla smiled at him from across the tent, reaching to retrieve the rag that had been draped over his forehead.

“Y-yeah… hey, where are we?” The boy asked, rubbing his head. “Where’s Miss Melia and the others?” 

“To be honest, Teelan, we don’t know.” The medic bit her lip. “Reyn and I woke up alone. They have to be  _ somewhere _ on the Shoulder, but we just don’t know where. As for where we are, some of the Alcamoth refugees managed to escape to the Shoulder when they were attacked by the Fog King. We’re in a camp within their ranks now.” 

“Is Tyrea here?” Teelan asked hopefully.

Sharla only shook her head.

“Thought as much.” 

The opening to the tent was pushed aside as Reyn peeked his head in. “Aw, you’re awake! Glad to see you up again, Teelan.” 

The auburn pushed his way into the tent, followed by someone else- an older High Entia, one that Teelan recognized very quickly as…

“Arlon!” He exclaimed. “It’s so good to see you again!” 

“Teelan, my boy! It’s good to see you again, too. I’m sorry it has to be under these circumstances, however.” The captain bowed his head. “A home in rubble is no reason for a reunion.” 

“Lighten up, captain.” Sharla spoke, her voice providing a comfort that Teelan hadn’t realized he needed. “The important thing is that you’re both here now.” 

The captain cleared his throat, straightening himself on the tent floor. “Yes, I believe you’re right. As for the purpose I am here… I understand that you are without your companions, correct? I do remember them well. Homs, a Nopon, and a High Entia girl.” 

Sharla nodded. “Yes, they accompanied us here along with a few others.”

“And due to the timing of your arrival, I assume you’ve followed the Fog King to the shoulder.”

“You can thank our pilots later.” Reyn grinned. “We wouldn’t have gotten here without ‘em. Oh, Maxis, too. He was the one who told us you were out here in the first place.”

Arlon breathed a sigh of relief. “Maxis’ journey proved fruitful after all, then. I’m glad to hear that some of our men got to safety. It’s fulfilling to hear good news, for once. We’re in great need of some assistance here on the Shoulder.” 

"Hope you ain’t try to oppose us fighting the Fog King, old-timer. We’ve been through the song and dance with Maxis, and we’re not going to hear any talk about not being up to the task.”

“I am not here to do anything of the sort. In fact it is quite the opposite. You see, my partner, Radzam, wants to challenge the Fog King as well- but I believe it is simply an impossible feat for our current numbers. We escaped Alcamoth by virtue of a miracle, but we’ve lost too much to justify another fight in the ring with that thing. My company is in no shape to fight, and we are in no position to receive help from Tchittre, the other settlement on the Shoulder, either. In spite of all this, however, I  _ know _ Radzam. I know that he’ll somehow sneak off to fight the Fog King, no matter what I tell him.”

Arlon bowed, and kept his head lowered as he continued to speak. “I’ve recall your exploits, the work that you’ve done for the Royal Guard and Prince Kallian back when Alcamoth was still situated on the Bionis crown. And so, though I know it is selfish of me, but I ask you to attempt to take down the Fog King in Radzam’s stead. I put my faith in your strength, travelers. If there’s anyone who stands a chance against that damned beast, it’s you.”

* * *

“I’m sorry about your people.” Shulk bowed his head slightly. “I know there’s nothing I can say to bring them back, yet…”

“There is no need to apologize. I have had far too much time to mourn already.” The Lorekeeper smiled gently. “Now, I can only be thankful that I was not among the number of Machina that perished that day.”

The two strolled through the quiet plains of the Bionis Shoulder, the warmth in the air slowly fading as midday turned to dusk. While the Lorekeeper quietly admired the beauty of the scene they had found themselves in, Shulk could do nothing but retreat back into his own head. The history that the Lorekeeper recalled so wistfully reminded him of Egil, the stronghearted Machina that sacrificed himself over a year ago. Though the exact details of Egil’s life would forever remain unknown to Shulk, he thought it possible that Egil and the Machina standing next to him could have lived through the same tragedy. 

“We should stop here for the night.” The Lorekeeper held an arm in front of him to keep Shulk from passing. They stood under a canopy of tall trees, a sight that, under different circumstances, Shulk would have stopped to admire. 

The blond set up a small fire as the two rested in the wood, placing down the Monado REX beside him. To Shulk’s surprise, the Lorekeeper was the first one to speak. 

“The world… it’s quite beautiful. I have not seen what lay beyond Tchittre in quite some time. It has not changed, yet it feels different than what I had remembered.”

“Your guard mentioned that. How long has it been since you’ve left the palace walls? Decades?”

“Hundreds of years.” The Lorekeeper corrected. “I… I have had no desire to leave the city before now.”

“The Bionis, er, Zanza, is gone now. Along with his disciples. It’s safe for you to leave Tchittre if you wanted. Once we repair the Junks, we could take the population back to New Colony 9. It would only take a few days to transport everyone back home, I’m sure.” Shulk said. 

“Perhaps.” The Machina’s voice trailed off. “I have spent so secluded the palace, fearful of what lay beyond our walls. If I’m being honest, I have never thought there would be a future for me beyond these cursed plains.”

The Lorekeeper looked at the moon that circled above them. With a heavy sigh, he began to speak, seemingly reminiscent of a time he once held fondly. “I suppose now, while we take our respite, is as good as a time as any. Allow me to answer all of your questions.” 

“On the Bionis Shoulder, tens of thousands of years ago, I met the people of the Bionis- the Giants- for the first time. It was a time of unity, and a time of peace. Together, the Giants and my fellow Machina, along with the Nopon that had also populated the Bionis Shoulder, created Tchittre- a word that, in an old, forgotten tongue, meant ‘divine soil’.

They taught us Machina the practical use of Bionis ether, which we used to craft incredibly tough machinery, able to withstand the volatile atmosphere inside the Mechonis interior. In exchange, we showed them the ways of the forge, allowing them to create beautiful architecture. It was a time of prosperity for the Bionis and the Mechonis, one that I was too naive to believe that would last.” 

Shulk could only nod along as the Lorekeeper spoke. Egil had, as he had suspected, had told him a similar tale.  _ If only,  _ Shulk thought to himself,  _ If only he could’ve been here to tell me the rest. _

“I’m foolish to not have seen the signs any sooner. Those creatures, whom I would come to know as the Telethia, were not made by the same loving creator as the wildlife I had come to know. When they descended on the Bionis, in waves at a time, they were beings of malice. The only thing that ran through their minds was a desire to kill.

Eventually, the droves overcame us. The Telethia chased us out of Tchittre and began picking us off, Machina, Giant, and Nopon alike. We took to a life of running away, through the forest, caves, and plains that we were once fortunate enough to call home. But like before, our luck would not last. I will never forget the face of the man that descended upon our refuge that day. Zanza’s prized disciple, Dickson.”

Shulk stopped himself from hitching his breath. The scientist, the man he had once considered his surrogate father, had given him no shortage of grief over the past year. There was no words to describe the pain the disciple had inflicted on thousands of lives, and no number to count the ones that he had taken, either. Dickson was far past forgiveness in Shulk’s mind, yet the boy could simply not absolve him from the benefit of the doubt. 

“He slaughtered almost all of us, leaving only me and a few others behind. We were a small group, just a handful of Machina that had once lived in Tchittre. None of us forgot the cold laughter we heard as he killed our friends. Even now, I can still remember his face, his voice…

After that day, the Telethia stopped coming. The Bionis Shoulder had been ravaged, but it was still far from in ruin. For us, the lucky ones, the survivors, there was nowhere left to go… besides the only place we could ever call home. We returned, and the remainder of us started life again, in Tchittre. We rebuilt it with nothing but our bare hands, and a promise to never forget those who we lost in the struggle.

“Why did you go back? Weren’t you scared of getting attacked again?” 

The Lorekeeper turned to look at the boy. “There is no greater driving force in a living being’s heart than hope, Shulk. I’ve no doubt you know what I am referring to.”

Shulk nodded after a second.The Lorekeeper smiled at him as he continued.

“We build cities because we believe that they will never be knocked down. We form bonds in each other because we believe in the best of people. Tchittre was no different. We returned because we survived, Shulk. We had been subjected to the greatest of tragedies, but we still emerged, despite everything that had befallen us. We were not going to let go of the city that had cultivated that hope.”

* * *

“Sir!” A voice yelled from the exterior of the tent. “Permission to enter, sir?” 

“What is it, Kyon? I’m in the middle of something important right now.” Arlon barked back. 

“It’s, it’s about Radzam, sir.” Kyon stammered. 

Arlon pushed his way out of the tent. “What about Radzam?” 

The High Entia pointed out the camp. “He, uh, he just left. I think he’s heading towards Tchittre, but…” 

“What part of  _ nobody leaves _ did you not understand, Kyon?” Arlon spoke, pinching his forehead with two fingers. “That fool’s going to get himself killed out there!” 

The guard bowed, speaking profusely. “We tried to stop him, sir, but he was too fast. We couldn’t catch up to him.” 

“Argh… Bionis’ sake.” Arlon sighed. “Look, tell the rest of the guard that there’s no need to put out a search.”

“Are you certain, sir? It would be no problem at all to organize a party-”

“It would be no problem at all to get yourselves  _ killed _ , Kyon. I’ll handle it myself.” He opened the flap of the tent and spoke inside. “Sorry, you three. It looks like my scrap of a partner’s gone and done something completely asinine. We’ll have to continue this conversation another time. Kyon, please, if there’s anything our guests need, it’s up to you to hear their requests.”

“Yes sir!” The guard stood at attention in front of the tent. 

After Arlon had made to leave the camp, Teelan sticked his head out the tent. “Excuse me, sir?” 

“Yes! Er, Teelan, was it?” 

The boy nodded. “I was wondering… who is this Radzam person you and Captain Arlon were talking about?”

“It’s a bit of a story.” Kyon pointed inside the tent. “May I?” 

“You may!” Teelan open the tent and allowed the soldier inside. Reyn and Sharla greeted the High Entia in warmly as he got settled in. 

“Radzam’s that Machina that saved us, right?” Reyn asked. “What’re the Machina doing with you lot?” 

“We took them in Alcamoth back a few months ago. They crash landed in the Bionis wastes over a year ago, and they arrived in Eryth Sea a few months later. They were with us when we got to the Shoulder, too.” 

“How did you even get to the Shoulder, anyway?” Sharla wondered aloud. “Maxis told us that there weren’t enough Havres to ride out of the basin on the Bionis’ head.” 

“Here’s the thing ‘bout that- we’ve not the slightest clue how we got here, but we think it has to do with the Fog King.” Kyon explained. “One moment, we were planning to take one last stand against the bloody thing, but in the next… darkness. The next thing we knew, the last of our army was here, in this very spot. Some bits of Alcamoth, too. We figured the Fog King must’ve teleported us away from the capital. Cowardly move, if you ask me.” 

“Darkness…” Sharla exchanged looks with Reyn and Teelan. “That lines up with what we’ve seen a few days ago. The Fog King took down the rest of Alcamoth, and he transported bits of it to New Colony 9.”

Teelan bit his thumb. “That’s not good. It seems the Fog King is getting stronger and stronger. First, a few survivors in Alcamoth. Next, the entire capital? If the next jump was as big as the first, then…” 

The boy didn’t need to finish the sentence for everyone to know what he meant. The floating island that they stood on was in danger of being consumed, as well.

“That’s actually what Radzam and Arlon have been arguing about for these past few weeks.” Kyon spoke up once more. “You see, Radzam had been adamant about destroying the Fog King before it could do any more damage. He was theorizing a way to get off the Bionis Shoulder to go and finish the job… but then the Fog King came to us.” 

The three were silent. 

“Radzam thinks the Fog King has been weakened by the last jump. Ever since it arrived, it hasn’t shown its face anywhere. Instead, it’s been taking over the minds of other animals- we’ve taken to calling them Fog Beasts -and using them to wreak havoc. We’ve been able to hold back a few waves thus far, but we don’t know how long it’s going to last. Or if the Fog King’s going to come out of this weakened state. Which is exactly why Radzam wants to mount the offensive.”

“This Radzam guy seems to know his stuff.” Reyn commented. “Too bad that Arlon’s holding ‘im back. He was willing to abandon his home, just cuz some big bad was in his way? Ain’t no way to be a captain, that’s for sure. And to think he wanted us to do all the dirty work.” 

Sharla shook her head. “No, I don’t think that’s it. Radzam and Arlon… they both want the same thing, don’t they?” 

“Exactly.” Kyon nodded along. “The whole reason why Radzam is doing this is  _ because _ of Arlon. Back in Alcamoth, Arlon stopped at nothing to stand against the Fog King. That’s what drew the two together in the first place. Radzam, more than anyone, admired the selfless devotion Arlon had to restoring their homeland. He was swept up in his courage- there’s no better words to describe it than that.” 

Kyon paused for a second, then continued speaking. “But when the fighting was over, when Arlon saw the damage that the Fog King had done to their ranks, something inside him shattered. There’s no salvaging the men we’ve lost these past few months. When we arrived here, on the Shoulder, Arlon wanted to give everyone a second chance. 

It seems that even that escapes us, however.”

* * *

“Why did Dickson keep you alive?” Shulk asked. “I don’t understand. There had to have been a reason.” 

“Originally, perhaps, it may have been the express request of Zanza. Or some cruel, twisted act of mercy, leaving me with the last of my brethren. But regardless of the  _ initial _ reason, he arrived at Tchittre three decades later. Yet this time, he wasn’t alone.

Alvis and Lorithia were stranger than Dickson. Lorithia had the lofty aura of a mastermind, ready to pick you apart at a moment’s notice. Alvis was… quiet, in comparison to the other two. He spoke slowly and deliberately, dancing around a conversation so gracefully you’d hardly have realized he’d never divulged anything of substance.”

“Heh.” Shulk chuckled. “That does sound like him.” 

“But they came for a simple reason: in exchange for letting me and the survivors of Tchittre live, Dickson proposed a deal, of sorts. For whatever reason, Lorithia, one of Zanza’s disciples, wanted to use the city for her own private dealings. I was quick to distrust her, but my hand was forced. I knew the alternative if I chose not to go along with their plans.” 

“What were the private dealings?” Shulk asked.

“I’m afraid I cannot share that information.” The Lorekeeper shook his head solemnly. “Some things escape even my ever-watchful eye. Regardless, I struck the deal. To protect the people that I had grown to call my dearest friends, Lorithia was allowed free reign to do anything she wanted in Tchittre.

And then, there was Alvis. He seemed not to care of the dealings of Zanza nor the intentions of his fellow disciples. What he was more interested in, however, was the people that lived in Tchittre. He would be fascinated to hear my story, and would frequently spend hours in the square, learning more about our small community. I would be lying if I didn’t say I had grown a fondness for him throughout the months, perhaps years he spent among us. That was when I created that statue that you see in our square.” 

“It’s a remarkable likeness, I must admit. You’re a very skilled craftsman.” 

“When have practically an eternity, it is quite easy to pick up new things.” The Lorekeeper chuckled. “Regardless, I’d hoped it to be worthy of his praises, but… after I showed it to him, his visits only became less frequent. Decades passed without a word, not even a hint on the wind. Lorithia still came by, as per our deal, but I had never it in me to strike up a conversation with the woman. Slowly, I came to question myself. I thought myself as blasphemous, having acted outside the preestablished harmony. I thought that it had been my fault that Alvis had rejected the world, the fact that I, a mere mortal, could think of myself as an equal to divinity…”

The Lorekeeper shook his head solemnly as he finished his story. “I was truly a fool. So I retreated into the palace walls. I became obsessed with overseeing Tchittre without interference, and I resigned myself to a life of solitude. Every single move, every single happening in the town became known under my watch. I wrote logs- thousands of them, detailing the life of every single High Entia that came in and out. My appearances outside the palace were few and far between. I became as a god to them.”

Where Shulk expected to see a face of evil, of someone who had been burned by the sands of time, he saw only a face of regret. The Lorekeeper did not retell his history with a cruel passion, but rather, a crushing guilt. 

“Perhaps I thought that somehow, my desperate mock attempt at divinity would attract his attention once more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! i didn't take two weeks to update again! that counts for something, probably. 
> 
> thanks for reading, and i hope you have a good day. (and check out the work that was inspired by this one!! it's another FC rewrite like mine, and it's taking a cool new direction.)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Future We Wish For...](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27429805) by [MachineryField](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineryField/pseuds/MachineryField)




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